DCHP-1 Online

medicine-man

• 1a n. an Indian magician or shaman who practises healing by means of charms and the exorcism of evil spirits or by practical remedies such as administering herbs and sweat baths.

  See also: conjurer (def. 1)  juggler  medicine tyhee  midé  tamanawous  

  • 1801  (1897)  An Indian who pretended to be a medicine man was employed by Maymiutch to cure his sick brother.
  • 1860  The "medicine-men" had all been posed by the disease: and the "powers of the air" had been invoked to no purpose.
  • 1958  Now there is a great difference between a Medicine Man and a Witch Doctor--the Medicine Man aims to heal, the Witch Doctor aims to kill, now we have this right.

• 1b n. anyone who prescribes or administers remedies for illness, etc.

  • 1893  (1908)  None of those at his post knew anything about applying remedies, and Mr. M'Kenzie's reputation as a "medicine man" being founded upon many successful cures by the aid of a well-furnished medicine-chest, his rival . . . had sent over for him. . . .
  • 1966  One receives the impression that his reputation as a medicine man had preceded him over the mountains, for . . . the sick were brought forth for his skill.

• 2 n. among Eskimos, an angakok.

  See also: angakok  

  • 1896  The angakok or medicine man, is a man of influence.
  • 1940  He was one of the last practising Eskimo medicine-men, and I could not suppress a sneaking liking for him.
  • 1945  Here the medicine man, the angakok, would stand when he was repeating incantations to bring good weather, to ensure a catch of seals, to speed the recovery of a sick woman.

• 3 n. an itinerant quack doctor, especially one who sells nostrums and panaceas to the accompaniment of a crowd-gathering show.

  See also: medicine show  

  • 1901  There was one person in the crowd surrounding the medicine-man's wagon who had none of that superstitious thrill. . . .
  • 1965  [Caption] Here comes the medicine man, plying his potions in Saskatchewan, unrestricted by any food and drug regulations. He can and probably does advertise sure cures for everything from cancer to chilblains--with a free show thrown in.