pawangn.
/ˈpɑːwaŋ/, U.S. /ˈpɑwæŋ/ In Malaysia and Indonesia: a shaman, a traditional healer; a wise person, an expert. Sometimes used as a title.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > non-European magic (miscellaneous) > [noun] > sorcerer or medicine man > other
angakok1745
pawanga1811
a1811 J. Leyden tr. Malay Ann. (1821) 51 He immediately ordered an artificer to be sent for, named Pawang Bentan.
1839 T. J. Newbold Polit. & Statist. Acct. Straits of Malacca II. viii. 98 They have ‘wise men’, or Puwangs, who pretend to be able to ascertain the most favourable spots for sinking a mine.
1906 Macmillan's Mag. Aug. 778 An old pawang, or sorcerer, stepped forward with a bunch of twigs of a tree for which a tiger is thought to have a peculiar dread.
1933 L. Ainsworth Confessions Planter in Malaya 128 A ‘Pawang’ or witch doctor was called, and for the sum of twenty dollars he agreed to perform the complete ceremony.
1993 New Scientist 21 Aug. 9/2 When an animal over a certain weight walked over the pressure pad, it triggered the camera. Experienced local naturalists, or pawangs, helped to identify the best sites.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1811