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Where does the word "hoodoo" (geology) come from?

Question #140065. Asked by chabenao1.
Last updated Apr 15 2015.
Originally posted Apr 15 2015 5:58 AM.

odo5435
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
odo5435
13 year member
165 replies

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
It seems the word is a variant of 'voodoo'. How did it come to be applied geologically? It seems no-one online has that answer.

These sources seem to suggest the geological structures are somehow unlucky:

"Possibly an alteration of voodoo or from Hausa, hu'du'ba/hu3'du3'ba1 ("to arouse resentment"). In English, meaning altered to "bring bad luck", then applied to things thought to bring bad luck, including the thin spires of rock now called hoodoos."
link https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hoodoo

"Origin of hoodoo- Of West African origin, possibly from voodoo."
link http://www.yourdictionary.com/hoodoo

link http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hoodoo



Apr 15 2015, 10:08 AM
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