Dahomey
proper noun
- former African country
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /dəˈhəʊmi/
name
Etymology: From Fon dã homè (“belly of Dã; snake's belly”).
- A former kingdom in West Africa, existing from c. 1600–1904 and located in the southern part of present-day Benin.
“The way other children hear tell of Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks, I heard of this ‘Black Sparta’, the noble kingdom of Dahomey, fighting to hold off the French to the very end.”
- Former name of Benin: a country in West Africa; used from 1958–1975. Official name: Republic of Dahomey.