Oricha
/oʊˈriːtʃə/noun
A deity or divine spirit in Yoruba religion and related Afro-Atlantic religious traditions.
Did you know?Oricha is an English and Spanish-influenced spelling of Yoruba òrìṣà, a term that survived the Atlantic slave trade and became central to several Afro-Atlantic religious traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Yoruba
òrìṣà
“A deity, divine power, or sacred spiritual being in Yoruba religious thought.”
18th–19th Century
Yoruba
òrìṣà
“The Yoruba religious term continued in oral traditions and in the Americas through enslaved Yoruba-speaking communities.”
19th Century
Portuguese
orixá
“Portuguese rendering of the Yoruba religious term, especially in Brazil.”
19th–20th Century
Spanish
oricha
“Spanish rendering used in descriptions of Afro-Cuban religion.”
20th Century
English
orisha
“The now-common English spelling for a Yoruba deity or divine spirit.”
Modern English
English
oricha
“A recognized variant spelling, especially in contexts influenced by Spanish or Afro-Cuban usage.”