shaman
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shaman
- /ˈʃɑːmən/ UK
- /ˈʃɑːmən/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːmən, -æmən, -eɪmən, -ɑːn
Where it comes from
Borrowed from German Schamane, from Russian шама́н (šamán), from Evenki шама̄н (şamān), сама̄н (samān), from Proto-Tungusic *samān. The Evenki word is possibly derived from the root ша- (şa-, “to know”); or else a loanword from Tocharian B ṣamāne (“monk”) or Chinese 沙門 /沙门 (shāmén, “Buddhist monk”), from Pali samaṇa from Sanskrit श्रमण (śramaṇa, “ascetic, monk, devotee”), from श्रम (śrama, “weariness, exhaustion; labor, toil; etc.”), which would make this a doublet of sramana.
noun shamans · shamen
-
A traditional faith healer.
Similar: witch doctor
-
A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a spiritual or religious medium between the concrete and spirit worlds; sometimes also a healer.
Near-synonyms: medicine man, medicine woman, priest-doctor, witch doctor
Similar: medicine man, medicine woman, priest-doctor, witch doctor
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: priest-doctor, amulet, priestess, priest, witch, warlock, sorcerer, wizard, chaman, medicine woman, witch doctor, conjurer, medicine man, healer, prophet, oracle
Translations
Every language
noun spiritual or religious medium between the concrete and spirit worlds
| Español | chamán, chamana, shamán, shamana, curandero, curandera |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 무당 mudang, 샤먼 syameon |
| 日本語 | シャーマン shāman |
| 中文 | 薩滿 /萨满 sàmǎn, 巫醫 /巫医 wūyī, 巫 wū, 巫師 /巫师 wūshī |
| हिन्दी | शामन śāman, ओझा ojhā |
| Português | xamã, xamane |
| Français | chamane, chaman, shaman, shamane |
| Deutsch | Schamane, Schamanin |
| Italiano | sciamano, sciamana |
| Ελληνικά | σαμάνος samános, σαμάν samán, ιατρομάντης iatromántis |
| Română | șaman |
| Русский | шама́н šamán, шама́нка šamánka, зна́харь znáxarʹ, волхв volxv |
| Tiếng Việt | thầy đồng, thầy pháp |
| العربية | شَامَان šāmān, كَاهِن kāhin, عَرَّاف ʕarrāf |
| עברית | שמאן shaman, שמאנית shamanit |
Talk about this word "shaman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shaman. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shaman. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shaman "shaman." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shaman.Cite this
@misc{shaman_2026,
title = {shaman},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shaman},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
