The story
- Igbo · derived fromabià“knowledge, wisdom”
- English todayobeah
Uncertain; apparently from a Caribbean creole, probably ultimately from a West African language. The Oxford English Dictionary points to Igbo abià (“knowledge, wisdom”), obìa (“doctor, healer”). Cognate of Aukan obiya, Saramaccan obia, and Sranan Tongo obia.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.