*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Ifa

Borrowed from Yoruba Ifá.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

the spirit associated with divination, wisdom, and the oracle · Synonym of Orunmila

noun

A complex system of divination in Yoruba religion.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Yoruba Ifá.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yo:Ifá",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Yoruba\", \"term\" : \"Ifá\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"yo\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Ifa\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Ifa\">\nBorrowed from Yoruba Ifá."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yo:Ifá",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Yoruba Ifá."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Ifá",
      "Ifa#Yoruba"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "the spirit associated with divination, wisdom, and the oracle",
        "Synonym of Orunmila"
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "0d85611f5fa6ad765feb6e813181f6ebb57d1b39b51e3701bbb7088dbb3e4dc4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1e238be1fa4e41b8df2774305318807a2db10e2bb757bc855b77264315fc0752",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 7958766
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A complex system of divination in Yoruba religion."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e958a8465247faa9cef05cbc13ed3c8ec9a1838dfde0ab31762d3cdba763549f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c0e0cb6c177cc21952009efa9a0cf30718883d9573da1ac3c1758f4352530180",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 7958765
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Ifa →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-SWZh