Dahomey

Dahomey

English

Etymology

From Fon dã homè (“belly of Dã; snake's belly”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dəˈhəʊmi/

Proper noun

Dahomey

1. (historical) A former country in Africa, located in present-day Benin.
   • 2016, Zadie Smith, Swing Time, Hamish Hamilton, pages 360-361:

     The way other children hear tell of Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks, I heard of this ‘Black Sparta’, the noble kingdom of Dahomey, fighting to hold off the French to the very end.

Derived terms

• Dahomeyan

Translations

former country in Africa

Dutch: Dahomey (nl) n French: Dahomey (fr) m German: Dahomey (de) n Greek: Δαχομέη (el) f (Dachoméi) Portuguese: Daomé m Russian: Дагомея (ru) f (Dagomeja) Spanish: Dahomey (es) Yoruba: Ìdàhọ̀mì, Dàhọ̀mì