Oyo
/ɔ̀.jɔ́/noun
Oyo is a historic Yoruba city and former West African empire in present-day Nigeria.
Did you know?The Oyo Empire’s ruler, the Alaafin, was traditionally subject to constitutional checks powerful enough that a symbolic gift of an empty calabash could signal a demand for abdication.
Etymological Timeline
Early Yoruba history
Yoruba
Ọ̀yọ́
“The indigenous name of the city and polity; its deeper lexical derivation is uncertain.”
c. 12th–14th Century
Yoruba
Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé
“Old Oyo, the original inland capital traditionally associated with the founding of the Oyo state.”
16th Century
Yoruba
Ọ̀yọ́
“Oyo emerged as a major Yoruba political power after the establishment of its imperial center.”
17th–18th Century
Yoruba
Ilẹ̀ Ọ̀yọ́
“The land or realm of Oyo, referring to the expanding Oyo Empire.”
19th Century
English
Oyo
“English-language historical and geographical name for the Yoruba kingdom, its people, and its former capital.”
Modern English
English
Oyo
“A city and state name in southwestern Nigeria, preserving the name of the historic Yoruba empire.”