ojha

English

Etymology

From Hindi ओझा (ojhā, “witch doctor”).

Noun

ojha (plural ojhas)

1. A sorcerer or folk healer in parts of India and Nepal.
   • 1894, William Crooke, An introduction to the popular religion and folklore of northern India, Allahabad, page 36:

     No one ascends the mountain through fear of the demon, except an Ojha or sorcerer, who sacrifices a goat at the foot of the hill before he makes the attempt.

   • 1993, Richard Maxwell Eaton, The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760, page 296n:

     In 1986 it was reported that an ojha had healed a mentally deranged Chakma woman by ‘using all the abusive words to the evil spirit who was believed to have possessed this village woman.’

   • 2008, Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies, Penguin, published 2015, page 154:

     First she brought in an ojha to exorcise the house, and when this produced no effect, she consulted a hakim, who purveyed Yunani medicines, and a vaid who practised Ayurveda.

Anagrams

• Joha, joha