shaman

noun

sha·​man ˈshä-mən 

ˈshā-,

 also  shə-ˈmän

plural shamans

1

: a priest or priestess who uses magic for the purpose of curing the sick, divining the hidden, and controlling events

2

: one who resembles a shaman

especially : high priest sense 3

shamanic

shə-ˈma-nik 

-ˈmä-

adjective

Examples of shaman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Readers are shown the likely son of a gardener planting the seeds of literature in Mesopotamia, the jungle shaman carefully hovering over the bones of the dead in the Amazon and the first rumbles of the Minotaur in the Mediterranean. —Joe Sills, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

The story centers on the estate’s shifting power dynamics after the arrival of the madame’s new lover, a singer/shaman scholar, as the sisters begin reclaiming their tribal heritage. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024

According to the myths, the shaman would enter the realm of the dead to capture an imaginary rain animal and bring it back. —Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024

Sign up Land of ice and shamans Mongolia and Tuva are considered home to the most powerful shamans in the world, wrote Zygar, the author of several books about the Kremlin, in Der Spiegel. —Harriet Marsden, theweek, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Evenki (Tungusic language of Siberia) šamān

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1