Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🌍 From Dahomey 🧑🏿 A person from Dahomey
Dahomeyan

Dahomeyan

1 9.9
A person from Dahomey, the former kingdom now part of Benin
  • noun
  • /dəˈhoʊmiən/
: dahomeyano
  • The Dahomeyan people have a rich cultural heritage that includes vibrant festivals and traditional music.

Examples

  • He was proud to be Dahomeyan, celebrating the history and traditions of his ancestors each year.

  • For example, in a "Scene of Human Sacrifice" published in Le Tour du Monde in 1863 (Fig. 3), the Dahomeyan king watches from beneath a canopy while the priests sacrifice his chosen victims, holding their heads aloft.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Notable pieces from this collection are a rare drum-bearing figure from the Loango coast (Fig. 9), a miniature power figure (Cover), and two royal umbrellas that belonged to the Dahomeyan king Guzo (1818-1858).

    Academic text (2005)

  • The Dahomeyan warriors are famous for their bravery and played a significant role in the history of West Africa.

Synonyms

Beninese
vsDahomeyan
1 7.2

A person from Benin or whose parents come from Benin

is a historic regional identity from a former kingdom in that area

Surface Forms

Dahomeyan singular
Dahomeyans plural

Morphology

Dahomeyan = Dahomey (transparent) = Dahomey + an

The demonymic noun is directly formed from the place-name 'Dahomey' with the standard '-an' suffix to indicate a person from that place.

Etymology

Dahomeyan names a person from Dahomey, the old kingdom in what is now Benin; think of it like Parisian means a person from Paris, so a Dahomeyan is someone from Dahomey.