voodoo
n. uncountablen. a religion from parts of Africa and the Caribbean that involves magic and spirits. People also use the word to describe something that seems mysterious or impossible to explain.
n. a religious system originating in West Africa and developed in the Caribbean, particularly Haiti, involving sorcery and spirit possession. Often used metaphorically to describe complex or opaque processes that appear to work by magic.
Some people think the new software is just voodoo.
The investor dismissed the complex trading algorithm as financial voodoo that would eventually fail.
While the film relies on tired tropes of voodoo for its horror elements, the actual religious practice is a sophisticated blend of ancestral traditions and spiritual devotion.
From Louisiana Creole voudou, from Haitian Creole Vodou, from a West African language, such as Ewe vódũ (“deity, idol”), Fon vòdún (“fetish”) or the Kwa languages vodũ.
When referring to the religion, it is often capitalized; when used metaphorically for mysterious methods, it remains lowercase.