hoodoo
UK /ˈhuːduː/ · US /ˈhudu/ noun, verb
Forms hoodoos hoodooing hoodooed
- noun (uncountable) A set of spiritual practices and traditions created and concealed from slave-owners by enslaved Africans in North America, based on traditional African beliefs.
- noun (chiefly US) A practitioner of voodoo.
- noun (chiefly US) Supernatural bad luck, or something or someone believed to bring bad luck.
- noun (geology) A tall thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of arid basins and badlands.
- verb (transitive) To jinx; to bring bad luck or misfortune to.
Synonyms
tent rock fairy chimney earth pyramid juju voodoo fetish fetich
Etymology
Apparently an alteration of voodoo.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Perh. a var. of voodoo.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hoodoo”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details