Deji

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Yoruba

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Etymology

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Unclear, several folk etymologies exist. A common folk etymology claims it comes from the phrase "ọwá fadé yìí jì ọ", ultimately from ọwá (king) +‎ fi (to use) +‎ adé (crown) +‎ yìí (this) +‎ (to gift, to entrust), literally The King gifted you a crown.

  • The title Déjì replaced the original title Àjàpadà. The story attached to this phrase comes from a future Déjì of Àkúrẹ́ being gifted a crown by his grandfather, usually attributed to the Ọwá Òbòkun (king of Ilesha Kingdom), and the title become a nickname that later developed into the title. The story of a grandfather-king giving his future king-grandson is a common story in Yorùbá folklore, see Asunkúngbadé.

Also possibly from Edo Udezi (leopard hunter)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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Déjì

  1. the title of the traditional ruler of the town of Àkúrẹ́.
    Synonym: Àjàpadà

Descendants

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  • Edo: Udezi