witchdoctor
Magic-using medicine man
A witchdoctor is a traditional healer or medicine man in certain cultures, believed to use magic, spirits, or ritual practices to cure illness, ward off evil, or divine the future.
The term carries colonial-era condescension, implying primitive superstition rather than legitimate practice: The missionaries dismissed the village witchdoctor as a fraud.
Also spelled witch doctor.
Traditional indigenous healer
- curanderoLatin American folk healer
- herbalistPractitioner using plant medicines
- traditional healerPractitioner of ancestral medicine
- shamanIndigenous spiritual healer
faith healer · bone setter · midwife · diviner · remedies · cures · healing · herbs
Formal event marking occasions
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- altarSacred ritual table
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- divinationForetelling through mystical means
séance · exorcism · talisman · amulet · fetish · bones · masks · rattles
Social group sharing ancestry
- villageSmall rural community
- elderSenior figure of authority
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- ancestorsThose from whom one descends
indigenous · community · Africa · Amazon · shaman · totem · clan · oral tradition
Magical utterances or intervals
- cursesSworn oaths or hexes
- hexesMalevolent magical spells
- black magicEvil supernatural practice
- enchantmentMagical influence over someone
conjuring · incantation · sorcerer · dark arts · possession · evil eye · malevolent · cursed
American film industry center
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- grass skirtWoven fiber costume
- mumbo jumboDeliberately confusing language
- primitiveIn earliest form
savage · colonial · racist · exoticism · othering · misrepresentation · sensationalized · Tarzan
medicine man
Traditional indigenous healer
- curanderoLatin American folk healer
- herbalistPractitioner using plant medicines
- traditional healerPractitioner of ancestral medicine
shaman · faith healer · bone setter · midwife · diviner · remedies · cures · healing · herbs · potions
ceremony
Formal event marking occasions
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- altarSacred ritual table
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
divination · séance · exorcism · talisman · amulet · fetish · bones · masks · rattles · drums
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
ancestors · indigenous · community · Africa · Amazon · shaman · totem · clan · oral tradition · initiation
spells
Magical utterances or intervals
- cursesSworn oaths or hexes
- hexesMalevolent magical spells
- black magicEvil supernatural practice
enchantment · conjuring · incantation · sorcerer · dark arts · possession · evil eye · malevolent · cursed · spellcasting
Hollywood
American film industry center
- caricatureExaggerated comic depiction
- grass skirtWoven fiber costume
- mumbo jumboDeliberately confusing language
primitive · savage · colonial · racist · exoticism · othering · misrepresentation · sensationalized · Tarzan · pulp fiction
witchdoctorphysician
Licensed medical doctor
doctor · medical doctor · surgeon · MD · general practitioner
witchdoctorscientist
One who studies nature
empiricist · rationalist · materialist · skeptic · medical researcher
doctor, witch, witchcraft, bewitch, bewitched, bewitching, witchery, bewitchment, witch-hunt