Griot
/ˈɡriː.oʊ/noun
A West African oral historian, musician, genealogist, and storyteller who preserves and transmits communal history.
Did you know?A griot’s authority traditionally came not just from storytelling but from inherited knowledge of lineages, treaties, historical events, and praise traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ker-
“To grow, cause to grow, or create; a reconstructed root associated with later Latin forms.”
Classical Latin
Latin
creare
“To create, produce, make, or beget.”
16th Century
Portuguese
criado
“A servant, domestic, or retainer; often proposed as the source of French griot, though the etymology remains debated.”
17th Century
French
griot
“A West African musician, storyteller, or oral historian; French adopted the term during the colonial era.”
20th Century
English
griot
“An English loanword for a traditional West African keeper and performer of oral history.”
Explore more surprising origins