Medicine man

noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A Native American shamanistic healer.

    "And the Jossakeeds, the Prophets, The Wabenos, the Magicians, And the Medicine-men, the Medas, Painted upon bark and deer-skin Figures for the songs they chanted"

  2. 2
    a Native American shaman wordnet
  3. 3
    A traditional healer among other indigenous or ancient peoples.

    "When, however, the plant spirits were not strong enough in themselves, then the family called in the Medicine Man. He appeared, a "monster of so frightful mien", with noise making apparatus which produced such a terrifying din that even the hardiest demon was likely to flee."

  4. 4
    The pitchman at a medicine show.

    "One of the most successful of the tent road-showmen is Dr. J. Van Cleve, old-time medicine man, who operates out of Portland. Van Cleve pitches his tent for a week and shows a different film program each night combined with a vaude show."

Etymology

Probably a calque of Ojibwe mashkikiiwinini (“doctor”), from mashkiki (“medicine”) + inini (“man”).

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