gris-gris
/ˈɡriːɡriː
/(also gri-gri, greegree)
noun (plural same)
1An African or Caribbean charm or amulet.Most of the time, this was how her love potions and gris-gris worked, which is apparently 100% of the time....
- Another way to keep the will of others from harming you or your children would be to wear a greegree.
- Stones and colored objects are chosen for their occult and astrological meanings corresponding to the purpose for which the gris-gris is to be used.
1.1 [mass noun] The use of gris-gris, especially in voodoo: [as modifier]: the New Orleans gris-gris traditions...
- The country reflects African music and culture - the Creole cuisine features myriad varieties of exotically spiced fish and seafood, and rural residents practice gris-gris, the local voodoo.
- From 1943 to his death in 1989, King Louis Narcisse fused Baptist, Pentecostal, and gris-gris traditions into a gumbo of ritual and hagiography.
- Only a few shamans in the region were known to practice gris-gris.
Origin
Late 17th century: from French grisgris, of West African origin.