Mumbo Jumbo

Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo Mum"bo Jum"bo, n. [Perh. fr. the native name of an African god.] 1. Among the Mandingos of the western Sudan, a bugbear by means of which the women are terrified and disciplined by societies of the men, one of whom assumes a masquerade for the purpose; hence, loosely, any Negro idol, fetish, or bugaboo. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

The miserable Mumbo Jumbo they paraded. --Dickens. [1913 Webster]

2. An object of superstitious homage and fear. --Carlyle. [1913 Webster]

3. Incomprehensible or senseless language, usually intended to avoid answering plainly, confuse a listener, or obscure an issue. [PJC]

4. Language so arcane or obscure as to be unintelligible to the listener. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Mumbo Jumbo — Daten Standort Flamingo Land Theme Park Zoo (Malton, North Yorkshire, UK) T …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • mumbo-jumbo — ► NOUN informal ▪ language or ritual causing or intended to cause confusion or bewilderment. ORIGIN from Mumbo Jumbo, the supposed name of an African idol …   English terms dictionary

  • mumbo jumbo — 1738, name of an idol supposedly worshipped by certain tribes in Africa; said to be a corruption of words in Mandingo (one reconstructed version is Mama Dyumbo), but no likely source has been found in the languages of the Niger region, to which… …   Etymology dictionary

  • mumbo jumbo — [mum′bō jum′bō] n. [of Afr orig.: meaning, form, & dialect uncert.] 1. [M J ] among certain West African tribes, an idol or god believed to protect the people from evil and terrorize the women into subjection 2. a) any idol or fetish b) any… …   English World dictionary

  • mumbo jumbo — [[t]mʌ̱mboʊ ʤʌ̱mboʊ[/t]] also mumbo jumbo N UNCOUNT (disapproval) If you describe ideas or words, especially religious or technical ones, as mumbo jumbo, you mean that they are nonsense. [INFORMAL] It s all full of psychoanalytic mumbo jumbo …   English dictionary

  • mumbo jumbo — noun /mʌmbəʊˈdʒʌmbəʊ/ a) A deity or other supernatural being said to have been worshipped by certain West African peoples; an idol. Rev. Quacks healing services are little more than mumbo jumbo. b) Any object of superstition; religious words… …   Wiktionary

  • mumbo-jumbo — mum|bo jum|bo [ˌmʌmbəu ˈdʒʌmbəu US bou ˈdʒʌmbou] n [U] informal [Date: 1700 1800; Origin: Mumbo Jumbo name of a supposed African god] technical language that is difficult to understand and seems to have no sense ▪ a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • mumbo jumbo — noun Etymology: Mumbo Jumbo, a masked figure among Mandingo peoples of western Africa Date: 1738 1. an object of superstitious homage and fear 2. a. a complicated often ritualistic observance with elaborate trappings b. complicated activity or… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mumbo jumbo — Synonyms and related words: Mumbo Jumbo, abracadabra, absurdity, amorphousness, amphigory, amulet, anagoge, anagogics, anthroposophy, argot, babble, babblement, balderdash, bibble babble, blabber, blather, bogey, bogeyman, boggart, bogle, bombast …   Moby Thesaurus

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