Chineke
/tʃɪˈnɛkɛ/noun
An Igbo name for God, especially understood as the creator.
Did you know?Chineke is commonly analyzed in relation to Igbo chi, a personal spiritual principle or deity, and the verb eke, “to create” or “portion out.”
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial Igbo usage
Igbo
chi
“A personal spiritual principle, guardian deity, or divine force associated with an individual.”
Precolonial Igbo usage
Igbo
eke
“To create, make, or allot; the root associated with creative ordering.”
Traditional Igbo
Igbo
Chi na-eke
“A phrase understood as “the deity who creates” or “God who creates.””
19th Century
Igbo
Chineke
“A widely recorded Igbo name for the supreme creator, increasingly used in Christian translation and preaching.”
Modern English
English
Chineke
“A proper name retained in English-language writing for the Igbo creator-God; it also appears in names such as Chineke! Orchestra.”