Olodumare

Yoruba

Alternative forms

• Elédùmarè
• Lédùmaè (Oǹdó)

Etymology

From oní- +‎ òdùmarè. Many folk etymologies attempt to explain the origin of the term òdùmàrè, but the etymology is ultimately unclear

• A chapter from the Odù Ifa (Yoruba religious text), Ọ̀sá Ògúndá, explains that the etymology comes from the phrase oní odù tí ń tan òṣùmàrè, ultimately from oní- (“one who has”) +‎ odù (“pot”) +‎ òṣùmàrè (“rainbow”), literally “The owner of the pot from which the rainbow comes from”

• Another folk etymology explains it as ultimately meaning odù (“source of creation, pot”) +‎ mà (“does not”) +‎ rè (“to become exhausted, empty”), literally “The Owner of the Source of Creation that does not get exhausted; The All Sufficient One”
• Compare with Òṣùmàrè

• Another theory tends to link the term to àrè, referring to stranger or someone who has know background, referring to the mysterious origins associated with Olodumare, thus breaking down to oní- (“one who has”) +‎ òdù (“pot, source”) +‎ mọ̀ (“to know”) +‎ àrè (“stranger, foreigner, one of know background”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ō.ló.ꜜdù.mā.ɾè/

Proper noun

Olódùmarè

1. A primordial being of creation in the Yoruba pantheon, regarded as the supreme ruler of the universe and the highest ranking divinity of Ìṣẹ̀ṣe

   Synonyms: Elédùwà, Ọlọ́run

2. (Christianity) God

   Synonym: Ọlọ́run