tokoloshe

/ -ˈlɒʃɪ; ˌtɒkɒˈlɒʃ /

noun

1. (in Bantu folklore) a malevolent mythical manlike animal of short stature Also calledtikoloshe

Word History and Origins

Origin of tokoloshe¹

from Xhosa uthikoloshe

Example Sentences

She keeps an ugly statue at her gate: a tokoloshe, or evil spirit in the local traditional belief, installed by a witch doctor to ward off superstitious rhino poachers.

From Los Angeles Times

Native words acceptable in one town are obscenities 50 miles away, and that old advertising catchword "magic" has doubtful value; to Africans the word is linked with a mythical devil named Tokoloshe, who gets young girls pregnant.

From Time Magazine Archive