medicine man
English
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medicine man
Where it comes from
Probably a calque of Ojibwe mashkikiiwinini (“doctor”), from mashkiki (“medicine”) + inini (“man”).
noun medicine men
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
Translations
Every language
noun shamanistic healer
| Español | hombre medicina |
|---|---|
| Português | curandeiro, curandeira |
| Français | homme-médecine, sorcier |
| Deutsch | Medizinmann |
| Italiano | uomo di medicina |
Talk about this word "medicine man." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/medicine%20man. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. medicine man. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/medicine%20man "medicine man." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/medicine%20man.Cite this
@misc{medicine_man_2026,
title = {medicine man},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/medicine%20man},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
