Egun

E1G2U1N1

noun

A member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.

OriginYoruba Eégún →
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Meanings

nounEgun (plural Egungun)

plural Egungun

  1. A member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.

Origin

  1. YorubaEgúngún“ancestors”
  2. YorubaEégún
  3. EnglishEgun

From Yoruba Eégún, a reduced form of Yoruba Egúngún (“ancestors”), with the difference between singular and plural being due to a misinterpretation of the Yoruba forms.

More words from Yoruba

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Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

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Cite this entry
APA

Egun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egun

MLA

“Egun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egun. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Egun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Egun.

Source: Egun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.