vodoun

Noun

voodoo (countable and uncountable, plural voodoos)

1. Any of a group of related religious practices found chiefly in and around the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti and Louisiana.
   • Years later, she had found out about the Voodoo drink - a concoction of rum, gunpowder, grave-dirt and human blood. She almost retched as the taste came back to her mouth.1954, Ian Fleming, “Allumeuse”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 109
2. The spiritual beliefs of the Ewe/Fon of West Africa, practiced chiefly in Benin and in the south of Togo.
3. (derogatory) Any sort of magical or irrational approach to a problem.
   • I want a real explanation, not this statistical voodoo.
4. (dated) One who practices voodoo; a native sorcerer.
   • So a reporter of the Boston Herald (U.S.) has 'interviewed' a few local Voodoos. He has seen a dance round a boiling pot, seen some tomfoolery with spiders, and heard a lot of superstitious stories.1889, Longman's Magazine, volume 14, page 557

See all 5 meanings of voodoo