hounsi means A voodoo initiate; a helper for a houngan or mambo. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
hounsi is pronounced /ˈ(h)uːnsi/.
Why “hounsi” is a great word
HOUNSI — [Noun] An initiated servitor in Haitian Vodou who assists a houngan (priest) or mambo (priestess). From Haitian Creole *hounsi*, from Fon (a language of Benin) *hùnsí* (“wife of the spirit”). Unlike a houngan, who is an ordained priest leading ceremonies, or the laity, the non-initiated congregants, a hounsi is a consecrated assistant, bound by rite and duty. They are the hands that steady the sacrificial animal, the feet that trace the vevè in cornmeal, and the vigilant attendant who cools the brow of one possessed. To be a hounsi is to find sacred identity not in command, but in the profound grace of making the ceremony possible.
Etymology
From Haitian Creole, from Fon.
noun
- A voodoo initiate; a helper for a houngan or mambo.“At the entrance to the tent, the hounsis stretch out upon the mats.”