govi

From Haitian Creole, from Fon.

govi (plural govis or govi)

1. A sacred urn or pitcher in Haitian voodoo, used to hold the spirit of an ancestor.
   • 1953, Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen, McPherson & Company 2004, p. 28:

     In due course of time, the parent in the govi becomes grandparent and the grandparent becomes ancestor.

   • 1995, Mama Lola & Karen McCarthy Brown, in Cosentino (ed.), Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, South Sea International Press 1998, p. 232:

     So these govi used to sit on your father's family altar, but now they are on yours?

   • 2009, ‎Ama Mazama, Encyclopedia of African Religion, vol. 1, p. 297:

     The importance and significance of the govi can hardly be overstressed because it enables as well as brings to light the Voduists' reverence for their ancestors, a ubiquitous and fundamental feature of African religion in general.

• Vigo

govi f

1. accusative singular form of govs
2. instrumental singular form of govs

• ngovi

govi (ma class, plural magovi)

1. (anatomy) prepuce, foreskin