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Jumbie

Pronounced /JUM-bee/nounEveryday talk

Meaning

A spirit or ghost, usually a troublesome one, in Trinidad and Tobago folklore. The word turns up in many local names, such as the jumbie bird, whose night call is said to foretell a death, and the stilt-walking moko jumbie of Carnival.

Doh walk past that old silk cotton tree at night, Granny say it full of jumbie.

In plain English: Don't walk past that old silk cotton tree at night, Granny says it is full of spirits.

Used in

Sources

  1. Caribbean Beat: Walk tall, moko jumbie
  2. Caribbean Beat: The Jumbie Bird, from East to West Indian
  3. Wiktionary: jumbie (definition pointer)

Last verified 3 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.