What is Àdìmù?

A few of my friends and students in the diaspora had asked me this question countless times, and I think it’s high time we discussed it.
Please note that this is not an attempt to discredit or invalidate any practice or belief; this piece is just for us to educate one another.
Now, in the Yoruba language, what does Adimu mean, or where does it originate from?
Àdimu means “To hold.”
The full word is Adimula, which means “to hold and prosper.”
So, where does Adimu come to play in Isese?
After an Ebo is successfully done and the person for whom the Ebo is done has taken the Ebo to Esu, once they return to the IFA room after dropping the Ebo, they will use their head to touch the ground and perform what we call “Adimu” or “Adimula.”
The person will use his/her hands to cover the Ifa/Opele, and the Babalawo will start reciting the ifa verse for Adimu
Adimu o, Adimu Ogbo
Adimu o, Adimu Ato…..
To hold to live long
To hold to prosper.
What they are actually doing is Iwure for the person that, as they have come to hold Ifa, ifa will never forsake them and also hold them tight.
Now, what I have heard in the diaspora about Adimu is that it means the food given to the Orisa.
For knowledge’s sake, how did they come about that? What is the correlation between the word Adimu and the offering given to the Orisa?
Also, in Isese, food given to Orisa during an offering is called Ìyánlę.
As I said, we should learn as much as we can. It’s never too late to acquire new knowledge.
Ire o

~Ifagbenusola Owomide Popoola