What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Shaman vs Quack - What's the difference?

shaman | quack |

As nouns the difference between shaman and quack

is that shaman is a traditional (prescientific) faith healer while quack is the sound made by a duck.

As a verb quack is

to make a noise like a duck.

As an adjective quack is

falsely presented as having medicinal powers.

shaman

English

(wikipedia shaman)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A traditional (prescientific) faith healer.
  • A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a religious medium between the concrete and spirit worlds.

    • Usage notes

    * The plural form is (shamans), not shamen;1978', Carl B. Compton, ''The Interamerican'', volume 25, ?3] (Instituto Interamericano, Denton, Texas) We learn from our readers: We have been wrong in writing the word “'''shamen'''” as a plural for “shaman”. The word probably comes from Russian and there is no plural except that made by adding an ‘s’ — e.g. Shamans. the etymologically-consistent plural form from the original Evenki is (term),'''2003''', Howard Isaac Aronson, Dee Ann Holisky, and Kevin Tuite, ''Current Trends in Caucasian, East European, and Inner Asian Linguistics'' — “Dialect Continua in Tungusic: Plural Morphology”, [http://books.google.com/books?id=REPC96ddSc0C&pg=PA103&dq=shaman+plural&lr=&num=100&as_brr=0&ei=M6bZR8eDJtC4igHPzKnVAQ&sig=I8R0SWIUh1gFGJIDmQFnJ62qYXI page 103] ([http://www.benjamins.com/ John Benjamin’s Publishing Company]; ISBN 1588114619) we note here that ''-sal'' tends to exist only as a residual plural marker in -l/-r dialects. For example, in Standard Evenki, as in the Evenki dialects of the Amur basin and the Vivin dialect, use of ''-sal'' is limited to a small number of nouns (e.g. ''bajan'' “rich person”, pl. ''bajasal''; ''?ami:'', “female reindeer”, pl. ''?ami:sal'' or ''?ami:s?l''; ''a?lan'' “field”, pl. ''a?lasal''; ''sama:n'' “shaman”, pl. '''''sama:sal'''''). but this form sees no use in English; the plural form shamans is, however, universally accepted.'''2005''', Peter Metcalf, ''Anthropology: The Basics'', box 7.3: “Shamanism”, [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yAYaiGedL_4C&pg=PA132&dq=shamen+plural&ei=9kPRSKymHJ7QigGyztnmAw&sig=ACfU3U0e-abwShaVZyKNBbrSUNQ-aQ71Rw page 132] ([http://www.routledge.com/ Routledge; ISBN 0415331196) Note that the plural of shaman is ' shamans , not shamen.

    Derived terms

    * shamanism * shamanize * shamen (hypercorrect plural) * technoshaman

    Synonyms

    * (religious medium) priest-doctor, witch doctor

    References

    quack

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) *.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The sound made by a duck.
    • Did you hear that duck make a quack ?

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make a noise like a duck.
    • The more breadcrumbs I threw on the ground, the more they quacked .
    Do you hear the ducks quack ?
    Derived terms
    *

    References

    Etymology 2

    (wikipedia quack) c 1630, shortening of quacksalver, from (etyl)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A fraudulent healer or incompetent professional, especially a doctor of medicine; an impostor who claims to have qualifications to practice medicine.
    • That doctor is nothing but a lousy quack !
    Polly (to security guard, referring to Dr. Feingarten): Are you going to let that shyster in there?
    Dr. Feingarten': I could sue you, Polly. A shyster is a disreputable lawyer. I'm a ' quack .
    - From the motion picture
  • * 1662 : Rump: or an Exact Collection of the Choycest Poems and Songs Relating to Late Times, Vol. II , by ‘the most Eminent Wits’
    • Tis hard to say, how much these Arse-wormes do urge us, We now need no Quack but these Jacks for to purge us, [...]
  • * 1720 : William Derham, Physico-theology
    • After ?ome Months, the Quack gets privately to Town, [...]
  • * 1843 , '', book 2, ch. 8, ''The Electon
    • ‘if we are ourselves valets, there shall ‘exist no hero for us; we shall not know the hero when we see him;’ - we shall take the quack for a hero; and cry, audibly through all ballot-boxes and machinery whatsoever, Thou art he; be thou King over us!
  • A charlatan.
  • Carlyle
    • Quacks political; quacks scientific, academical.
  • (slang) A doctor.
    • Synonyms
    * See also
    Derived terms
    * (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To practice or commit quackery.
  • (obsolete) To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast.
  • * Hudibras
    • To quack of universal cures.

    Adjective

    (-)
  • falsely presented as having medicinal powers.
    • Don't get your hopes up; that's quack medicine!