ọpẹlẹ

Yoruba

Etymology

From ọ̀pẹ̀ (“palm tree, Elaeis guineensis”) +‎ ilẹ̀ (“ground”), literally “Palm tree of the ground”

• The tree Elaeis guineensis is sacred to the worship of Ifá and the nuts of the ọ̀pẹ̀ tree are used to form the ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ̀.k͡pɛ̀.lɛ̀/

Noun

ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀

1. A divination chain used in the Yoruba religion and Ifá divination, specifically to communicate with the orisha Ọ̀rúnmìlà. It serves a similar purpose to the ikin, but in less formal situations.