A good luck charm, amulet, or protective talisman used in West African and African-American folk magic traditions; also spelled gris-gris.
From French gris-gris, possibly derived from West African languages or from French gris (gray). The term traveled through the Atlantic slave trade and became embedded in Louisiana Creole culture.
Gris-gris survived the Middle Passage—this word traveled with enslaved people from Africa and became central to Louisiana voodoo and hoodoo traditions, showing how cultural magic practices persisted despite brutal displacement.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.