English
shaman
Shaman comes from Evenki шама̄н, and goes back to Proto-Tungusic *samān.
- Proto-Tungusicprehistoric (reconstructed)*samānnext step skipped: Tocharian B ṣamāne
- Evenkimodernшама̄нşamān
- Russianmodernшама́нšamánnext step skipped: Chinese 沙門
- Germanc. 1650–presentSchamane
- Englishearliest quotation 2010shaman
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Tungusicprehistoric (reconstructed)*samānnext step skipped: Tocharian B ṣamāne
- Evenkimodernшама̄нşamān
- Russianmodernшама́нšamánnext step skipped: Chinese 沙門
- Germanc. 1650–presentSchamane
- Englishearliest quotation 2010shaman
Earliest quotation: 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction): “Shepard: What rites did you go through to become…”
The story
The Evenki word is possibly derived from the root ша- (şa-, “to know”); or else a loanword from Tocharian B ṣamāne (‘monk’) or Chinese 沙門 /沙门 (shāmén, “Buddhist monk”), from Pali samaṇa from Sanskrit श्रमण (śramaṇa, “ascetic, monk, devotee”), from श्रम (śrama, “weariness, exhaustion; labor, toil; etc.”), which would make this a doublet of sramana.
Every English word from Proto-Tungusic *samān
Today it means
noun A traditional faith healer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Tungusic *samān / shaman