The etymology of the term is unclear (perhaps from Proto-Yoruboid *ò-rìsà, Proto-Yoruboid *ɔ̀-rɪ̀cà, or Proto-Yoruboid *ò-rìcà). May have originally referred to the sky or rainfall, a sense which is still used in some contexts but is rare. Several folk etymologies exist, the main one suggesting it comes from orí (“head, conscience, destiny”) + ì- (nominalizing prefix) + ṣà (“to be selected, to choose”), literally “The head that is specially selected”. (This is unlikely, however, as this term only fits the Yoruba definition of òrìṣà, but not the cognate versions in other languages or even in other Yoruba dialects.) Historically among the ancient Yoruba, and likely their Proto-Yoruboid ancestors, Òrìṣà referred to a specific arch-divinity of the sky and creation (now known as Òrìṣàńlá and Ọbàtálá). See cognates Itsekiri Òrìtsẹ̀, Igbo Òlìsà, Urhobo Oyise, Yoruba Ọ̀rìṣà, Edo Osa, Oisa, Ebira Oricha, and Fon Lisà. In these related languages and Eastern Yoruba dialects of the Yoruba language (see Ọ̀rị̀ṣà) as well as old Yoruba songs, Òrìṣà has retained a proper noun definition, referring to a specific high-ranking androgynous divinity associated with the sky, creation, and government.