jumbie bead

English

jumbie beads, Abrus precatorius seeds on a thread

Etymology

Of jumbie + bead. The initial portion is apparently from Kongo zumbi (fetish, spirit) or Kimbundu nzumbi (god).[1] Compare zombie.

Noun

jumbie bead (plural jumbie beads)

  1. A jequirity bean, the seed of the jequirity plant (Abrus precatorius) used in beadwork or making percussion instruments.
    Synonyms: jumble-bead, jumbie bean, rosary pea
    • 2007, Sislyn Peters, Undocumented Citizen, page 179:
      “Dat too much. You pick de jumbie bead by de wayside, and run piece o’ string through dem, an’ you chargin’ me four dallaz? You got to be crims-crams. You crims-crams?” I asked.
    • 2012, Robert Wyndham Nicholls, The Jumbies’ Playing Ground, page 12:
      In the Eastern Caribbean, Abrus seeds (Jumbie beads, John Crow beads in Jamaica) are made into necklaces and bracelets to serve as protection against Jumbies and malevolent forces.

References

  1. jumbie bead, n.” under jumbie, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2022.
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