Orishas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A spiritual being in Yoruba religion, often associated with natural forces and revered as a deity or guiding spirit
2. Divine entities in African traditional religions, particularly within the Yoruba culture, that embody aspects of nature and human experience
3. Spirit representations in Afro-Caribbean religions that serve as intermediaries between the human world and the divine realm

Etymology: "Orishas" is the plural of "orisha," a noun borrowed from Yoruba "òrìṣà," the name for the spiritual beings that Yoruba religion holds as intermediaries between the high god Olódùmarè and humanity. The English plural simply adds an "s" to the Yoruba borrowing, which does not itself take a plural form in Yoruba. The word's meaning in its home language is broad. Each òrìṣà is associated with a particular domain of human life, such as thunder, iron, rivers, or the sea, and is honoured through its own songs, rituals, and priests. Because the term crossed into English through scholarship and the spread of Yoruba religious practice in the Americas and beyond, the English form carries the Yoruba concept with it rather than a European one.