orpeko

O1R1P3E1K5O1

noun

A form of spirit possession or spiritual sickness among Maasai people, especially women.

OriginMaasai orpeka ← Swahili upepo ← Proto-Bantu [Term?] →
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Meanings

nounorpeko (uncountable)
  1. AfricaEastuncountableA form of spirit possession or spiritual sickness among Maasai people, especially women.

    It turned out that the only sure-fire permanent cure for orpeko was Christian baptism.

    2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 965
    2 more examples

    Orpeko is vividly perceived by Maasai men and women as an outside force that has entered and disrupted their lives.

    2001, Dorothy L. Hodgson, Once Intrepid Warriors, page 260

    Others, such as orpeko among the Maasai people of Tanzania, are relatively recent phenomena that originated with foreign contacts.

    2008, New Encyclopedia of Africa, volume IV

Origin

  1. Proto-Bantu[Term?]
  2. Swahiliupepo
  3. Maasaiorpeka
  4. Englishorpeko

Borrowed from Maasai orpeka, from Swahili upepo (“spirit, wind”), from Proto-Bantu [Term?].

More words from Maasai

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

orpeko. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orpeko

MLA

“orpeko.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orpeko. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orpeko,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orpeko.

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