Yoruba Dictionary

Letter: A

• Abbó, Abo: Ram
• Abebé: Fan
• Aberinkulá: An uninitiated person or thing
• Abe: Razor.
• Abikú: Spirit of children who die prematurely. They are traveling spirits.
• Ahomale: Worshipper of the spirits of the ancestors.
• Abore: chief of the idols, when he is a Babalawo.
• Abuku, Aunko, Ounko: Uncastrated male goat.
• Abure: younger brother or sister.
• Acomo: hammer.
• Ache: grace, luck, blessing.
• Ache de Orula or Yefá: powder of dried, grated yam used to work the Até, the IFÁ board.
• Achikordié, Koidé: Parrot.
• Achó: cloth, fabric.
• Achota: Sheet.
• A Da Fun Omi: lake.
• Adalú: Black-eyed peas cooked on their own. It is offered to Ochún and Oyá.
• Adi: hawk.
• Adié: Hen
• Adimu: Offering of food or fruit to an Orisha.
• Adya: liturgical bell with a curved handle that belongs to Obatalá.
• Afoché: Powders used for witchcraft.
• Agogó: Bell.
• Aguadó, Aguaddó: Corn.
• Aguani: peacock.
• Aguema Akua: Chameleon.
• Agumaga: the Diloggun.
• Agután, Ogután: ram.
• Ajá: small broom that is an attribute of Babalú Ayé.
• Aguoma, Awona: Doll.
• Ajara: vine.
• Akará: bread, cornbread, cake.
• Akuaró: quail.
• Akukó: rooster.
• Ala: mantle.
• Alagbode: mandarin orange.
• Aleyo: visitor, passerby, someone not initiated in the Regla de Ocha (the Rule of Osha).
• Alosasi: whale, undine.
• Amalá: beaten cornmeal; funche, a cornmeal mush
• Ano, Aro: illness.
• Añañi: cockroach.
• Añones: deformed spirits.
• Apo, Epo: tremor, sack, pocket.
• Apoti: chair.
• Ará: body.
• Ará, ere: earth, land.
• Ará, Onú: heaven, the infinite space where the Egun and the spirits of the ancestors dwell.
• Arayé: quarrels, apparitions, evil shadows.
• Arení: Salmon.
• Arikú Bamboya: spirit that accompanies the odun Odi Meyí.
• Arubó: old, elderly, ancient.
• Asia: flag.
• Asha: eagle
• Ataná: candle.
• Ataré: pepper.
• Até: IFÁ board; also the money placed upon the IFÁ board.
• Atebo: wooden basin.
• Atipolá: diuretic herb, used in cleansing baths; it goes into the omiero.
• Aunkó: young goat sacrificed to Elegua.
• Auré: she-goat.
• Awala: bright star.
• Awó: wise man, Babalawo; priest of IFÁ.
• Ayaifa: receptacle of IFÁ.
• Ayakuá, Ayapá: jicotea, the freshwater turtle
• Ayapá Tiroco: male jicotea
• Ayanuko: elephant.
• Ayé: cowrie shell.

Letter: B

• Babá: father.
• Babalawo: wise man, priest of IFÁ.
• Babalocha: a man who has had the santo seated upon his head.
• Baro: Yagruma, the trumpet tree.
• Batié Soddé: may evil depart, may there be no curse.

Letter: C

• Cuele – Cuele: calm down, be still.

Letter: CH

• Chilekon: open door, behind the door.
• Chokoto: trousers.
• Chubu: to fall down.

Letter: D

• Dale: to be quiet, silence.
• Die: a little, a bit.
• Diloggun: the cowrie shells used in the divination system of the same name within the Regla de Ocha, or Santería.
• Dodo: Red, crimson.
• Dun Dun, Dudu: black.
• Dure Arochete: strong, firm.

Letter: E

• Ebbó: offering, an adimu made to the Orishas.
• Ebbó fi, Ebbó ada: what is being done is for good
• Echin: horse.
• Echuchíe: fly.
• Ede: shrimp.
• Efa: six; peanut.
• Efu, Etu: money.
• Efe: wind, tail, smoke.
• Efún: cascarilla, the white powder made from dried eggshell.
• Efún Aro: blue paint.
• Eggue Aye: guacalote seed.
• Eggue Koko: malanga.
• Egu: hair.
• Eggún: the dead, spirits of the departed.
• Eguo: corn offered to the dead; thread; rice.
• Ejaro: rabbit.
• Ejuju: bird feathers in general.
• Eka: winter; tree branch.
• Ekó: a kind of tamale made from corn.
• Ekó, Dide: parrot feathers.
• Ekrú: black-eyed pea paste; Guinea pepper.
• Eku: jutía, the Cuban tree rat.
• Eku A Iya Oma: smoked jutía.
• Ékuele: chain strung with eight pieces, which may be bits of dried coconut, turtle shell, processed seeds, and so on.
• Ekueya: small bell.
• Ekun: cat, tiger.
• Ekunla: lion.
• Ekuté: mouse.
• Eleddá: the Guardian Angel, the tutelary santo of one’s head; also forehead, head.
• Eledé: pig.
• Eleguedé: pumpkin.
• Eleke Fún Fún : white necklace, white bead.
• Elerí: river silt.
• Ellá Eyá: fish.
• Ellelé Eyelé: dove.
• Eloda: bad.
• Eñi: eggs.
• Eñi Adié: hen’s egg.
• Eñu: mouth.
• Epó: corojo palm butter.
• Era Guigue: salted meat, dried beef.
• Erán: meat.
• Eraní: ant.
• Eránlá: cow.
• Erán Eyá : fish flesh.
• Erán Malú: beef.
• Erí: head.
• Erín Omí: hippopotamus.
• Erú : slave.
• Erí : ear.
• Etú: slave.
• Euré: goat
• Ewe: herb
• Ewe Aye: caracolillo herb.
• Ewin: slug.
• Eyá, Ellá: fish.
• Eyé: blood.
• Eyé Eyé: birds in general.
• Eyo: upheaval, war.

Letter: F

• Fibale: to sweep; salute to the elders.
• Filani: Chinese person.
• Fún Fún: whiteness, the color white.

Letter: G

• Gaga: big.
• Gbogbo: all, everything, much.
• Gbogbo Ere: much land.
• Guele: kerchief
• Gungun: turkey vulture.
• Gunugun: Vulture.

Letter: I

• Ibere, Ebe: rogación, a ritual petition.
• Ibo: white; corojo butter; the shell held in the hand of the person being consulted during Diloggun divination; a climbing vine; coralillo.
• Ichaworo: jingle bell.
• Ihu, Ichu: yam.
• Idi: buttock.
• Igba: jícara (gourd bowl); the permission asked of the Orishas. It is linked to the idea of presenting the jícara filled with water at the start of ceremonies.
• Ibaguda: cassava.
• Igüi: tree, timber, stick.
• Ikú: the dead; death; the moment of dying.
• Ilá: okra.
• Ilé: house.
• Ilé Obba: king’s house, royal house.
• Ilékan: crab.
• Imo: belly.
• Inle: earth, land.
• Iña: tragedy.
• Inso: hair
• Iré: good path, good fortune, benefits.
• Irofá: deer horn, an attribute of IFÁ.
• Iroko: the ceiba, a sacred tree in Cuba.
• Ikure: horsetail, an attribute of some Orishas.
• Isun: to sleep.
• Itutu: funeral rite.
• Iyalocha: priestess of the Orishas.
• Iyawó: a person who has not yet completed a year since the Ocha was seated upon their head.
• lyé: powder similar to yefá. It is made with yam, malanga, coconut shell, mamey, jutía and fish; sawdust.
• Iyefú: flour.
• lyó: prince.

Letter: J

• Jío Jío: chick
• Joro Joro: hole, pit.
• Juju, Ejuju: bird feathers; a few drops of the sacrificed animal’s blood and pieces of viscera that form part of the offering to an Orisha.

Letter: K

• Keké: small.
• Kekereké: little crowing rooster.
• Ko Bo Eri: to have one’s head blessed in a rogation.
• Koidé: parrot feather.
• Koriko: grass.
• Korin: to sing.
• Kokoró: egg.
• Kosi Ano: may there be no illness.
• Kosi Eyo: may there be no bloodshed.
• Kosi Ikú: may there be no death.
• Kosi Ofo: may there be no disgrace.
• Kueye, Ekueye, Kúekúéye: duck
• Kukuté: death.

Letter: L

• Lafodé: boat, vessel.
• Lami Lami: seahorse
• Larinká: rat.
• Laro: Yagruma; a sick person.
• Leri: head; on, on top of.

Letter: M

• Maferefún: praised be; their purity is invoked.
• Magba, Nagba: priest of Chango.
• Malú: bull.
• Manam, Manam: lightning.
• Mariwó: fronds of guano palm or raffia.
• Matipó: brick-red bead used in some Orisha necklaces.
• Merin: four.
• Meta: three.
• Meyi: two.
• Mewa: ten.
• Moforibale: to pay homage, to salute one’s elders.
• Mogbo: I hear.
• Mokeke: boy.
• Moyugba: salutation, invocation addressed to the Orishas or to the Egün.

Letter: O

• Obba: king.
• Obbi: coconut; to pray, to plead.
• Obbi Pikunti: coconut broken off with the fingers, pinches used to pull pieces from the tips of a piece of coconut.
• Obbiní: woman.
• Obe: knife.
• Ocuní, Ocunisu: man; shameless man.
• Ochincín : dish of shrimp, capers, chard and tomatoes, Ochún’s favorite food.
• Odá, Oddán: Castrated goat; food of Ochún and Obba.
• Oddun, Oddu, Odun: Divination sign or letter in the Diloggun, the obbi, the Ekuele or the Ikines.
• Odidé, Odidiré: Parrot, clown.
• Ododó: pink.
• Ofa: lodestone.
• Ofé: the bones (EFA); to see.
• Ofoché: powders for casting curses.
• Ogbo: forest.
• Ogge: medicine, treatment.
• Ogu: witchcraft.
• Ogungun: bone
• Okán: heart.
• Okán Chocho: a single path.
• Okó: husband.
• Okutá, Otá: stone.
• Olelé: tamale made from black-eyed peas and wrapped in plantain leaves.
• Olúo: Babalawo, wise man.
• Omí: water.
• Omiero: sacred water containing herbs, the blood of sacrificed animals and other ingredients.
• Omí Tuto: fresh water.
• Omó: child; milk; breast.
• Omodé: boy, girl.
• Onidé: parrot.
• Oniyoko oniloko: sailor.
• Oniyoko orireko: neck; the head of the bird sacrificed to the Orisha.
• Oñí: honey.
• Opo: oil.
• Opolopo: much
• Opolopo Owó: much money.
• Orí: cocoa butter.
• Oriaté: master of ceremonies of the Regla de Ocha.
• Orí Awora or Orí Aguoma: little porcelain head.
• Oricha, Orisha: santo.
• Oríki: secret name of the odun; also the secret name of a living or dead person who is summoned with a drum call and cannot refuse to appear.
• Orissa: a santo that is received but not seated.
• Oro Ayimbo: mango.
• Orun: sun; smell.
• Osaide: owl.
• Osogbo: a letter on a bad path, bad luck, harm.
• Ossode: the act by which the Babalawo divines for himself.
• Otí: aguardiente, cane liquor.
• Owó: wealth, money.
• Ozuzu: sea monsters.

Letter: P

• Pattakí: ancient story of the Orishas and kings who appear in the odun of IFÁ and the Diloggun.
• Pupo: much.
• Pupua, Kukua: red.

Letter: S

• Sara Ekó: rogation, purification with ekó.
• Sarayeyeo, Sarayeyé: cleansing, purification.
• Suco, Aúko: to cry.
• Surefun: To bless

Letter: T

• Tate: amaranth.
• Teté: word used to worship the santo; cricket.
• Timbalera or Cambustera Cimarrona: plant used to make powder for ebbó. It has healing properties.
• To Ibán Echu: very well, keep it in memory.
• Temí: My, mine
• Tie: You, your
• Timbelese: At the foot of…
• Tobí: Who gave birth
• Tuto: Fresh.

Letter: U

• Unló Burukú: may evil depart, may there be no harm.

Letter: Y

• Yefá: Orula’s ache.
• Yeré: name given to the children of Yemayá
• Yeye: Mother
• Yuba: Greeting