Etymology

moko jumbie

Today it means: A carnival performer in the Caribbean who walks or dances on stilts. Full definition →

Kongo moko
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The story

  1. Kongo · derived fromzumbi“fetish, spirit”
  2. Kongo · derived frommoko“curer, diviner”
  3. English todaymoko jumbie

Possibly from Kongo moko (“curer, diviner”) or from Moko, the name of a person or group of people, with English jumbie, itself from Kongo zumbi (“fetish, spirit”).

Words from the same roots

Kongozumbi all →

jumbiejumbie bead

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.