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hoodoo

Pronunciation: /ˈhuːduː/

Definition of hoodoo

noun

1 [mass noun] voodoo or witchcraft: [as modifier]:a visit to a local hoodoo doctor
[count noun] a run of bad luck associated with a person or activity:when is this hoodoo going to end?
[count noun] a person or thing that brings or causes bad luck.

2chiefly North American a column or pinnacle of weathered rock:a towering sandstone hoodoo

verb (hoodoos, hoodooing, hoodooed)

[with object]

bewitch:she’s hoodooed you
bring bad luck to:a fine player, but repeatedly hoodooed

Origin:

late 19th century (originally US): apparently an alteration of voodoo. It originally denoted a person who practised voodoo, hence a hidden cause of bad luck (hoodoo (sense 1 of the noun)). hoodoo (sense 2 of the noun) is apparently due to the resemblance of the rock column to a strange human form, often topped by an overhanging ‘hat’ of harder rock

hoodoo in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of hoodoo in the US English dictionary

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