The first step we are going to take in order to know the meaning of the term loa that concerns us now is to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can emphasize that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from "laus, laudis", which can be translated as "praise." And that, in turn, emanates from the Latin verb "laudere", which is synonymous with "to praise."
Loa is the act and result of loar : venerate, praise. The term is usually used as a synonym for praise or flattery .
For example: "The president's speech was in praise of the wildest capitalism ", "The governor praises the students during his visit to the university" , "The singer left the stage amid praise and applause from the public" .
Other terms that can function as synonyms for praise are encomium, apology, exaltation, praise and even panegyric. On the contrary, among its antonyms we find words such as contempt, criticism or diatribe, for example.
In the field of poetry , the idea of loa refers to a dramatic work of reduced length that praises , often allegorically, a personality or an event. A loa, in this framework, represents a celebration of something.
During the so-called Spanish Golden Age , a loa was a dialogue, a prologue or another type of composition that was presented at the beginning of a theatrical performance . These praises usually offered a summary of the argument. After the Golden Age , the praises became short pieces that functioned as an introduction to a work .
In voodoo , a loa is a spirit that mediates between human beings and the supernatural entity known as Mawu or Bondye , a divinity inaccessible to people. The loas, who are also supernatural beings, are the deities who have contact with individuals and with the supreme god.
According to voodoo beliefs, the priests of this religion have the power to contact the loas. Thus, the loas speak through the clerics.
In the same way, it is important that we know that there is an animal that has the term in question in its name. We are referring to Loa Loa, which is a very common parasitic worm in Africa. It should also be noted that it has a length that is between 4 and 10 centimeters and that it is responsible for the so-called filariasis. We can establish that this is the name given to a set of parasitic diseases that can affect both humans and other animals.
A river in Chile and a city in the state of Utah ( USA ), meanwhile, are named after Loa , as is a Chilean vessel that sank in 1880 and another Peruvian vessel that sank the following year.
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore that LOA is the acronym behind which the Andalusian Ophthalmological Laboratory is located. This is the only lens manufacturer in all of Andalusia, it has more than 20 years of experience and is based in Seville, specifically in the town of San José de la Rinconada.