noun / verb
hoodoo
HOO-doo/ˈhuːduː/
Folk magic believed to bring bad luck.
The character believed a rival had put a hoodoo on his luck.
Etymology
Hoodoo probably comes from voodoo, a name for religious and magical practices. It was first recorded in Louisiana for a religio-magical practice and later came to name American folk magic.
In context
she's a hoodoo practitioner and she also specializes in spiritual eradication spiritual cleansing establishing spiritual protection crossing cursing and breakup work
More examples
- The tale describes someone being hoodooed before a journey.
- He blamed the string of mishaps on a hoodoo.
- In the story, the supposed hoodoo frightens the traveler.
Forms
hoodoo · hoodoos · hoodooed · hoodooing
Similar words
- jinx
- A jinx is a supposed cause of bad luck; hoodoo in this sense refers to a spell or unlucky influence.
- curse
- A curse calls for or supposedly causes harm; hoodoo names a particular unlucky spell or influence in this sense.