What is "medicine man"

Medicine \Med"i*cine\, n. [L. medicina (sc. ars), fr. medicinus medical, fr. medicus: cf. F. m['e]decine. See Medical.]

1. The science which relates to the prevention, cure, or alleviation of disease.

2. Any substance administered in the treatment of disease; a remedial agent; a medication; a medicament; a remedy; physic.

   By medicine, life may be prolonged.
   --Shak.

3. A philter or love potion. [Obs.]
   --Shak.

4. [F. m['e]decin.] A physician. [Obs.]
   --Shak.

5. 1. Among the North American Indians, any object supposed to give control over natural or magical forces, to act as a protective charm, or to cause healing; also, magical power itself; the potency which a charm, token, or rite is supposed to exert.

      The North American Indian boy usually took as his medicine the first animal of which he dreamed during the long and solitary fast that he observed at puberty.
      --F. H. Giddings.

   2. Hence, a similar object or agency among other savages.

6. Short for Medicine man.

7. Intoxicating liquor; drink. [Slang]

   Medicine bag, a charm; -- so called among the North American Indians, or in works relating to them.

   Medicine man (among the North American Indians), a person who professes to cure sickness, drive away evil spirits, and regulate the weather by the arts of magic; a shaman.

   Medicine seal, a small gem or paste engraved with reversed characters, to serve as a seal. Such seals were used by Roman physicians to stamp the names of their medicines.

n. A Native American shamanistic healer. The term is also used to refer to traditional healers of other indigenous aboriginal peoples.

n. a Native American shaman

A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people. Individual cultures have their own names, in their respective Indigenous languages, for the spiritual healers and ceremonial leaders in their particular cultures.

Medicine Man is a 1992 film directed by American action director John McTiernan. The film stars Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco, and features an acclaimed score by veteran composer Jerry Goldsmith.