orukọ abiku

Yoruba

Etymology

From orúkọ +‎ àbíkú.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.ɾú.kɔ̄ à.bí.kú/

Noun

orúkọ àbíkú

1. a class of unique Yoruba given names given to àbíkú children (children believed to be reincarnations of a previously deceased sibling). ikú (“death”) is a common prefix for these names (ex. Ikúdáyìsí).

Usage notes

• These names are unique in that they are often insultive, as it is believed if the child is not loved (i.e. by giving the child a bad name), the malevolent spirit will leave the parents alone as it will believe the death of their child will not cause them pain, for example, the abiku name Ajá, meaning "dog".