Timeline for What is the one word for doll witch
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
11 events
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| Feb 23, 2014 at 0:22 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @miercoledi: I only vaguely knew the word - and then only spelled as mommet, so I had to check Google Books counts to convince myself that maumet was more common. Personally, I'd call such a thing a voodoo doll (or more likely, a doll that was possessed [by an evil spirit]). But OP asked for "one word", so we are where we are. I do think poppet is a bit of a lost cause though - these days it's mainly a term of endearment, especially applied to young children - "Ah! He's such a poppet!". | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 23:56 | comment | added | miercoledi | i agree @FumbleFingers also a maumet (and i believe poppet may work as well) is specifically a representation of a human meant to somehow entrap or control, as with a voodoo doll, so i think maumet is the best answer. | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 23:48 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @miercoledi: I did think about words like totem and talisman - they certainly have the advantage of being far more common than maumet/mommet. They're also less "potentially offensive" in their etymology, but (and this may not be unconnected) they don't have very strong negative connotations - so in fact they're both becoming increasingly positive (I think they're getting more and more synonymous with mascot). | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 23:40 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @Brad: Good point. But it's worth noting that Google Books has 10 times more doll is possessed than doll is cursed. On the other hand, there are 3 times more ring is cursed than ring is possessed. That's because possessed is more appropriate to human or human-like "vessels", whereas cursed can apply to just about anything (even abstracts, such as love, hunger, or ambition). | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 22:46 | comment | added | Louel | I have to agree, though, that of all the adjectives recommended here, "cursed" is probably the best. | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 22:11 | comment | added | B. Szonye | Cursed is also good for an adjective. | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 17:52 | comment | added | ermanen | Also to back up: poppet - "small human figure used in witchcraft and sorcery," c.1300, early form of puppet (q.v.). - And here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppet | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 17:44 | comment | added | miercoledi | The above is correct. Also, the word totem is used to describe any toy/trinket object that is somehow enchanted (with benevolence, neutrality, or malevolence alike) and non-toy trinkets as well as jewelry of enchantment can be called talismans | |
| Feb 22, 2014 at 16:17 | history | edited | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Feb 22, 2014 at 16:01 | history | edited | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Feb 22, 2014 at 14:54 | history | answered | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |