mojo

See also:Mojo,mojó,mójo,andмоё

English

Etymology 1

Probably of Creole origin, cognate withGullahmoco(“witchcraft”),Fulamoco'o(“medicine man”).The origin of the drug sense is uncertain, possibly related toSpanishmojar(“to toast (celebrate with a drink)”).

Pronunciation

• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈmoʊd͡ʒoʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˈməʊd͡ʒəʊ/

• Audio(General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-əʊdʒəʊ

Noun

mojo(countableanduncountable,pluralmojosormojoes)

1. (countable)Amagicspellorhex.
2. (countable)Anobject(such as acharmoramulet) used tocastmagicspells,especially inhoodoo.
   • 1991July/August,Shelby Foote,“When Robert Johnson Sings”, inAmerican Heritage‎^[1],volume42,number 4:

     A doney, for instance, is a woman of worse than doubtful morals, and a nation sack is a cloth pouch worn on a string around the neck for holdingmojosand small change.

3. (uncountable)Spellcraft,hoodoo.
4. (informal)Supernaturalskill;exceptionalluck,success,orpower.
   • 2022February 12, Danny Westneat, “The reason voters see past the terrible headlines with Seattle schools”, inThe Seattle Times‎^[2]:

     I haven’t seen muchmojoin the state Legislature for that or any other major intervention, though. Hey, lawmakers, you should check out the test scores for your own school districts. It might be yours are needing some help, too, maybe even more so than Seattle.

5. (slang)Personalmagnetism;charm.
6. (slang)Sex appeal;sex drive.

   Look at the way the chicks are checking out Daniel on the dancefloor. He's still got plenty ofmojo.

   After the pandemic closed down the discos, I stopped socializing and have lost mymojo.

7. (slang)Anillegaldrug,especiallymorphineor othernarcotics.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:recreational drug

8. (slang,usually with "wire")Atelecopier;afax machine.

Translations

magic charm or spell

• German:Magie(de)f,Zauber(de)m
• Hungarian:varázslat(hu),mágia(hu),(words)varázsige(hu),(object)amulett(hu)
• Portuguese:mágica(pt),magia(pt)
• Spanish:magia(es)f,encanto(es)m

supernatural skill or luck

• Hungarian:varázserő(hu),bűverő(hu)

personal magnetism; charm

• German:Charme(de)m
• Hungarian:vonzerő(hu)

sex appeal; sex drive

• Hungarian:szexepil(hu),csáberő(hu),vonzerő(hu)

illegal drugs

• Hungarian:kábítószer(hu),narkó(hu),anyag(hu),fű(hu)

fax machine

• Hungarian:faxgép,fax(hu)

Etymology 2

BorrowedfromSpanishmojo.

Noun

mojo(countableanduncountable,pluralmojos)

1. Any of varioussaucesoriginating in theCanary Islandsand made witholive oil,peppers,garlic,paprika,and other spices.
   • 2021November 8,Tejal Rao,“Sidesgiving”, inThe New York Times‎^[3]:

     I know I want one more satisfying starch, and I’m debating between Yewande Komolafe’s plantains with beans and Von Diaz’s yuca coated in a warm, garlickymojo.

Etymology 3

Noun

mojo(pluralmojos)

1. Alternative form ofmoio(“Portuguese dry measure”)

Further reading

• “mojon.”,inGreen’s Dictionary of Slang,Jonathon Green,2016–present

Anagrams

• JOMO,Jomo,jomo

Japanese

Romanization

mojo

1. Rōmajitranscription ofもじょ

Lower Sorbian

Determiner

mojo

1. Superseded spellingofmójo.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈmoxo/[ˈmo.xo]
• Rhymes:-oxo
• Syllabification:mo‧jo

Etymology 1

Deverbalfrommojar.

Noun

mojom(pluralmojos)

1. a type of spicy red sauce from the Canary Islands made from chilli, oil, vinegar, garlic,and cumin

Alternative forms

• moje

Derived terms

• mojito

Etymology 2

Verb

mojo

1. first-personsingularpresentindicativeofmojar

Further reading

• “mojo”,inDiccionario de la lengua española,Vigésima tercera edición,Real Academia Española,2014

Venetian

Alternative forms

• mójo

Adjective

mojo(feminine singularmoja,masculine pluralmoji,feminine pluralmoje)

1. wet
2. soaked

Related terms

• mojar