/mum"boh jum"boh/ , pl. mumbo jumbos .
1. meaningless incantation or ritual.
2. senseless or pretentious language, usually designed to obscure an issue, confuse a listener, or the like.
3. an object of superstitious awe or reverence.
4. ( caps. ) the guardian of western Sudan villages symbolized by a masked man who combats evil and punishes women for breaches of tribal laws.
[ 1730-40; of disputed orig. ]