Dahomey
3
9.9
- proper noun
- The former country of Dahomey, now known as Benin, was a region rich in culture and history.
- kingdom of Dahomey
- Dahomey, Benin
- king of Dahomey
Examples
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The kingdom of Dahomey lay between the Volta and Benin Rivers in the area referred to as the Bight of Benin.
Academic text (1998) -
By the time Herskovits collected data in Dahomey in 1931, it had been a colony of France for almost 40 years.
Academic text (1998) -
In France, there was a black man who came out of Dahomey like ourselves.
Fiction book (1994) -
We fight for Dahomey... for our sisters... for our great king.
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I am going to Dahomey.
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I want Dahomey to survive.
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The port belongs to Dahomey.
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The African Kingdom of Dahomey is at a crossroads.
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In the Dahomean Wars of 1890 and 1892, during the European scramble for colonies, the French conquered Dahomey.
Academic text (1990) -
The Dahomey king Guezo, who reigned from 1818 to 1858, demonstrated the inclusiveness of Dahomey culture when he ordered a shipment of Vodun sculptures from Europe.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
6
2.7
A country in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea
1
4.6
The official name of the West African country Benin
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dahomey comes from a local West African name often written Dahome or Danxome, and one common explanation says it meant 'in the belly of Dan', a strong image of the land held close to a town or people called Dan. That's why Dahomey was used for the old kingdom and the colonial territory that is now the country of Benin.