The first documentation of the word Hoodoo in the English language appeared in 1870.
Its origins are obscure but it's believed to originate as an alteration of the word voodoo – a word that has its origin in the Ewe and Fon languages of Ghana and Benin – referring to divinity.
The Akan word odu meaning medicine is also considered to be a possible etymological origin.
Another probable etymology is the Hausa word hu'du'ba which means resentment and retribution.
Another possible etymological origin of the word hoodoo comes from the word Hudu which comes from the Ewe language spoken in the West African countries of Ghana and Togo. The word Hudu means spirit work.
The Oxford English Dictionary cited the Sunday Appeal's definition of Hoodoo as an African dialect with practices similar to the mysteries of Obi (Obeah) in the Caribbean.
