leopard-man
leopard-man — noun
1. A person who belonged to a traditional secret group in parts of West Africa, who
A person who belonged to a traditional secret group in parts of West Africa, whose members attacked victims using sharp claw-like metal weapons, often as part of religious ceremonies or to consume human flesh.
Tunde heard stories about the leopard-men from village elders who remembered the old rituals.
collocation: village elders + remembered + rituals
In the early 1900s, colonial officers documented several leopard-man attacks on remote West African villages.
temporal anchor: early 1900s; passive: documented
The leopard-man tradition is studied by anthropologists trying to piece together the region's spiritual history.
Members of the Leopard Society wore iron claws during nighttime ceremonies in the forest.
文法句型
the leopard-men
leopard-man society
用法筆記
This term appears primarily in historical and anthropological writing about secret societies in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d'Ivoire during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is rarely used in everyday speech. The plural form leopard-men is common when referring to the group as a whole.