Westermann (1905) records two senses. (1) dzɔgbe 'day of origin', i.e. birthday, and hence a person's fate or destiny: dz. nyui 'good fortune', dz. vɔ̃ 'bad fortune, misfortune'. (2) dzogbe 'fire-grass': savanna grassland that is burned every year in February.
A person facing repeated misfortune may be said to have dzɔgbevɔ̃, bad fate.