stregone
/streˈɡo.ne/masculine
The English phrase 'witch doctor' can be translated into Italian as stregone. Wiktionary also lists sciamano.
Meaning: person believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magic (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| stregone | /streˈɡo.ne/ | masculine |
| sciamano | /ʃaˈma.no/ | masculine |
The term refers to a person believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magic.
Which one should you use?
stregone is the common term for a witch doctor, whereas sciamano translates to 'shaman' and is used in more formal, anthropological or spiritual contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both sciamano and stregone are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /streˈɡo.ne/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- While stregone can mean a magical healer, in modern Italian slang it is often used to describe someone who is an expert or a 'wizard' at a specific technical task, such as a 'computer wizard'.
- The feminine form of stregone is stregona, but it is rarely used for healers and instead often describes a woman who is perceived as domineering or loud.
- The word stregone is built from the word strega, meaning 'witch', plus the suffix '-one' which acts as an augmentative. This literally translates to a 'great witch' or 'large witch'.
Examples in context
- Sami era uno stregone.Sami was a witch doctor.This sentence uses stregone to identify Sami's profession.Tatoeba #10525875 by Guybrush88, translation #6448205 by OsoHombre
- Ci rinuncio. Cos'hanno in comune un prete irlandese e uno stregone congolese?I give up. What do an Irish priest and Congolese witch doctor have in common?This sentence uses stregone to create a comparison between a priest and a Congolese witch doctor.Tatoeba #920347 by Guybrush88, translation #601982 by darinmex
- C'è un stregone del villaggio che conosce antiche tecniche di guarigione.There is a witch doctor in the village who knows ancient healing techniques.
- Alcune culture tribali del mondo ancora si affidano agli antichi sciamani per curare i malati.Some tribal cultures in the world still rely on ancient witch doctors to heal the sick.
- Lo stregone curò il malato con i suoi rituali.The witch doctor cured the sick man with his rituals.
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are discussing a documentary about tribal cultures.
- SofiaGuarda come lavora lo stregone in questo video.Look at how the witch doctor works in this video.
- MatteoUsa erbe e rituali molto antichi, Sofia.He uses very ancient herbs and rituals, Sofia.
- SofiaCredi che i suoi poteri siano reali?Do you believe his powers are real?
- MatteoNon lo so, ma è affascinante.I don't know, but it's fascinating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witch doctor” translations and entries stregone, sciamano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sciamano, stregone, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
