Definition of witch doctor Witch doctor
witch doc•tor
We found 3 definitions of witch doctor from 3 different sources.
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What does witch doctor mean?
WordNet
Noun |
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| witch doctor - someone who is believed to heal through magical powers | ||
| sorcerer, thaumaturge, thaumaturgist, magician, necromancer, wizard one who practices magic or sorcery | ||
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Wikipedia 
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A witch doctor often refers to a healer in undeveloped regions who use traditional and sometimes out of date methods rather than modern medicine or science.
The term witch doctor is generally used with negative terms. It is often used to imply that the healer has little or no experience or ability in medicine.
Witch doctors in Europe.
The Oxford English Dictionary says that the first recorded use of this term is in 1718, in a book by Francis Hutchinson.
Witch doctors in Africa.
The witch doctors in Africa are known as sangomas in Southern Africa. The Oxford English Dictionary states that the first use of the term "witch doctor" to refer to African shamans (i.e. medicine men) was in 1836 in a book by Robert Montgomery Martin (1803?-1868).
