ọpẹlẹ

Yoruba

Etymology

From ọ̀pẹ̀ (“palm tree, Elaeis guineensis”) +‎ ilẹ̀ (“ground”), literally “Palm tree of the ground”

  • The tree Elaeis guineensis is sacred to the worship of Ifá and the nuts of the ọ̀pẹ̀ tree are used to form the ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɔ̀.k͡pɛ̀.lɛ̀/

Noun

ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀

  1. A divination chain used in the Yoruba religion and Ifá divination, specifically to communicate with the orisha Ọ̀rúnmìlà. It serves a similar purpose to the ikin, but in less formal situations.
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