Spanish word

vudú

Pronunciation

IPA/buˈðu/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvoodoo

Example

En la isla se practican rituales de vudú.

On the island, voodoo rituals are practiced.

Illustration for vudú (voodoo)

More examples

Las creencias sobre vudú varían entre las comunidades.

Beliefs about voodoo vary among communities.

Core concept

Ceremonial altar with offerings and candles.

Common phrases

  • ceremonia de vudú

    voodoo ceremony

  • creencias sobre vudú

    beliefs about voodoo

Similar words

magia: Supernatural power or practices thought to cause unexplained effects.
religión: Organized system of beliefs with doctrines, worship, and communal observance.
brujería: Practice of using spells or charms to try to achieve a specific purpose.
ritual: Formal sequence of prescribed actions performed during a ceremony or rite.

Definition in Spanish

Religión y conjunto de prácticas espirituales y mágicas de origen africano que se transformaron en el Caribe y que incluyen ritos para comunicarse con espíritus y obtener su favor.

Word origin

From West African Fon vodun meaning 'spirit', transmitted to the Caribbean through the slave trade and recorded in Haitian Creole and French as vaudou before becoming Spanish vudú.

Usage tips

  • Spanish vudú can mean the organized Afro-Caribbean religion or, in popular use, sensationalized magic as in films, and it carries a written accent on the final u and is masculine (el vudú).

Opposites

  • escepticismoskepticismnoun
  • racionalismorationalismnoun

Word lists with this word