Skip to main content
Etymology
Open navigation
WordsBlogTopicsToolAboutSupportDownload

zombie

/ˈzɒmbi/

noun

Origin

Kongo (KiKongo)

nzambi — god, spirit

Overview

Meaning Now

  • A corpse said to be revived by witchcraft, especially in certain African and Caribbean religions.
  • A person who is or appears lifeless, apathetic, or completely lacking independent judgment.

Language path

Kongo (KiKongo) → Haitian Creole → English

Earliest form

zombi

Earliest period

19th century

Journey

The term originated from West African beliefs (Kikongo 'nzambi') and was integrated into Haitian Vodou. In its original cultural context, a 'zombi' referred to a soul or spirit rather than the pop-culture rotting corpse that became popular in 20th-century American cinema.

Evolution

  1. 17th-18th century (Kikongo)

    nzambi

    “god, spirit of a dead person”

    Root term in Kikongo referring to spiritual entities.

  2. 18th-19th century (Haitian Creole)

    zombi

    “reanimated corpse; spirit”

    Evolved through the context of enslaved African populations in Haiti.

  3. 1929 (English)

    zombie

    “undead creature”

    Introduced to American English via travel literature.

Connections

Related across languages

  • Kikongo

    nzambi

    god, spirit

Explore next

Related to zombie

Get the WordOrigin app

External references use DefinedTerm semantics.