o|be|ah

o|be|ah «OH bee uh», noun.

1. a kind of witchcraft practiced by certain Negroes in Africa, and formerly in the West Indies and the United States: »

The same village recently held a trial for three women accused of practicing obeah (New Yorker).

2. an amulet, charm, or fetish used in this witchcraft.

╂[American English; ultimately of West African origin]