The Why of Words
#34: Zombie — Haitian Folklore's Fate Worse Than Death
May 21, 2026
Season 1
Episode 34
Discover the surprising true origin of the word 'zombie' — not from Hollywood horror films, but from Haiti. Trace how the Haitian Creole word 'zonbi' traveled from West African languages through the diaspora, ultimately reshaping how we understand the undead.
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