Mojo Crossed the Atlantic With a Charm Bag
Mojo is personal magic or charm. The word came into English from West Africa.
Mojo is a personal magic, charm or confidence, as in losing or getting back your mojo. The word entered American English through African American hoodoo, where a *mojo* was a small cloth bag of charms carried for luck, and the likeliest source is Gullah *moco*, magic, traceable to West African languages. Blues recordings of the 1920s and 1930s carried it into general use. The vaguer modern sense of personal effectiveness is a twentieth-century extension.
- Personal charm or luck. *Lost his mojo.*
- A charm bag. *A mojo hand.*
- Magic power. *Working mojo.*
- Hoodoo โ the tradition. *Hoodoo.*
- Gullah โ *moco*, magic. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mojo | Mojo. |
| Plural | mojos | Mojos. |
| Compound | mojo hand | A mojo hand. |
| Related | hoodoo | Hoodoo. |
| Gullah | moco | Magic. |
- He got his mojo back.Confidence.
- A mojo bag of charms.Original.
- Blues songs spread the word.History.
West African words in English
- Mojo โ a charm or magic power
- Goober โ a peanut, from Kikongo *nguba*
- Okra โ from Igbo *แปฬkแปฅฬrแปฅฬ*
- Banjo โ probably from a West African string instrument
- Many arrived through Gullah in the American South
Probably from Gullah *moco*, magic, of West African origin, recorded in American English from the 1920s.
What was a mojo originally?
A small cloth bag of charms carried for luck in African American hoodoo practice, also called a mojo hand.
How did mojo become a general word?
Blues recordings of the 1920s and 1930s carried it into wider American English, where it broadened to mean personal effectiveness.