Mojo Defined

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 Mojo Defined


You may be wondering what I mean by “mojo”. Different dictionaries have different definitions. They range from the conservative, some would say “stodgy” Oxford English Dictionary to the contemporary, hip Urban Dictionary. I tend to be somewhere in between. For example, I would fall close to dictionary.com, which includes some of the internet influence in their definitions. Here are some variations:

From the online OED, US version © 2020 Lexico.com:

NOUN mojo
A magic charm, talisman, or spell.
 ‘someone must have their mojo working over at the record company’
1.1 Influence, especially magic power.
‘the name has no mojo’


Note how the OED is very literal. They emphasize the magical quality of the original definition without referring to the way the word is currently used.

A little bit better is this definition from Merriam Webster Online © 2020 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. There is some mention of magic, but it isn’t quite how I mean mojo.

mojo noun
a magic spell, hex, or charm
broadly : magical power
works his mojo on the tennis court
The team has lost its mojo.


The next definition is the closest to what I men by mojo. I particularly like the slang definition.
noun.
the art or practice of casting magic spells; magic; voodoo.
an object, as an amulet or charm, that is believed to carry a magic spell.
Slang.
a seemingly magical personal charm, power, or influence over other people:
He’s always a hit with the ladies when he gets his mojo working.
exceptional ability, good luck, success, etc.:
It seems like our team has finally gotten its mojo back.

The use of the word seemingly is especially appropriate. The way I mean mojo is not so much that it is magical, but it seems so.

Finally, I will show the Urban Dictionary’s definition. It captures the hip usage today but it is a little too extreme for me. The Urban Dictionary says:

Mojo is a noun originally used to mean a magic charm or spell or an amulet, often in the form of a small bag containing magic items worn by adherents of hoodoo or voodoo, or it could mean a quality or some ability that brings good luck or helps you be good at something. Originally from the US and associated with the music and dance culture, it has entered the English language and has also taken on an additional meaning of personal confidence and charisma with regard to sexual relationships. The word Mojo itself probably derives from African-American language where it refers to a personal talisman or witchcraft charm, and is itself derived from the word Moco used by the Gullah people meaning witchcraft or possibly from the Fula word moco’o meaning medicine man.

The word mojo first received widespread exposure in the song “Got My Mojo Working” which was written by Preston Foster.

by AKACroatalin December 04, 2016

With these four definition, including the one that I use from Dictionary.com, you should understand what I am really writing about.

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