English Explanatory Dictionary

shaman

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

A traditional faith healer.
A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a spiritual or religious medium between the concrete and spirit worlds; sometimes also a healer.

Pronunciation

/ˈʃɑːmən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shaman.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shaman2.wav

Word forms

shaman shamans shamen

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

Derived words

neoshaman nonshaman plastic shaman shamanesque shamaness shamanhood shamanic shamanish shamanism shamanist shamanistic shamanize shamanlike shamanly shamanry shamen technoshaman

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