Meanings
plural bear walkers · alternative Bear Walker · alternative bear-walker · alternative bearwalk
- Native AmericanartsAn evil sorcerer, specifically one who walks by night in the form of a bear.
He told Jim he saw a Bear-walker approaching the house then and there.
1953, Inland Seas, Great Lakes Historical Society, page 132 more examples
The hair ornament was worn by the Bear-Walker before and during the casting of spells.
1901, Charles Edward Brown, The Wisconsin Archeologist, page 116These bear-walkers owed their powers to their personal manito, the bear, and traveled in disguise at night, causing disease among their victims.
1983, Christopher Vecsey, Traditional Ojibwa Religion and its Historical Changes, →ISBN, page 148Synonyms: werebear
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn evil sorcerer, specifically one who walks by night in the form of a bear.
Origin
- Ojibweme'coubmoosa“bear walker”
- Englishbear walker
Calque of Ojibwe me'coubmoosa (“bear walker”).
More words from Ojibwe
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
bear walker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20walker
“bear walker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20walker. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bear walker,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bear%20walker.
Source: bear walker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.