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Shaman

4 stages from Evenki to English.

Today it means a person believed to contact the spirit world, especially to heal or divine

Where does the word "shaman" come from? It comes from Evenki šaman, passing through Russian and Dutch before entering English (1690s).

šaman→shaman→sjaman→shaman

Evenki · 1600s

"spirit medium"

the Tungusic word for a spirit healer of eastern Siberia; its possible link to Sanskrit śramaṇa 'ascetic' via Chinese is disputed

Russian · 1670s

"Siberian spirit healer"

the exiled Archpriest Avvakum's autobiography, written in the 1670s, describes a Siberian shaman's ritual, among the first Russian records of the word

"Siberian priest"

Nicolaes Witsen's book on Siberia, Noord en Oost Tartarye (1692), spread the word and an engraving of a shaman across Europe

English · 1690s

"spirit healer"

later extended by anthropologists to spirit healers in cultures worldwide

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Read the full story

Shaman’s story begins in Evenki: šaman meant “spirit medium.” The Tungusic word for a spirit healer of eastern Siberia; its possible link to Sanskrit śramaṇa 'ascetic' via Chinese is disputed. By 1670s, the word had taken hold in Russian as shaman. The exiled Archpriest Avvakum's autobiography, written in the 1670s, describes a Siberian shaman's ritual, among the first Russian records of the word. From there it passed into Dutch as sjaman by 1692. Nicolaes Witsen's book on Siberia, Noord en Oost Tartarye (1692), spread the word and an engraving of a shaman across Europe. It reached English by 1690s as shaman. Later extended by anthropologists to spirit healers in cultures worldwide. Today, shaman means a person believed to contact the spirit world, especially to heal or divine.