hounsi

== English == === Alternative forms === ounsi === Etymology === From Haitian Creole, from Fon. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈ(h)uːnsi/ === Noun === hounsi (plural hounsis) A voodoo initiate; a helper for a houngan or mambo. 1995, Karen McCarthy Brown, in Cosentino (ed.), Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou, South Sea International Press 1998, p. 214: In both Rada and Petwo modes of ritualizing, it is customary for ounsis to show respect to priests and priestesses through such ritual salutations.