Meanings
nouncunning folk pl (plural only)
- historicalpluralplural onlyProfessional or semi-professional practitioners of magic (often charlatans) who were active from at least the 15th up until the early 20th century.
Synonyms: conjurers, pellars, folk healer, white witch, wise men, wise women, wizards
Synonyms & antonyms
nounProfessional or semi-professional practitioners of magic (often charlatans) who were active from at least the 15th up until the early 20th century.
Also see
Translations
Bulgarian вещер
- вещер (vešter)professional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Czech vědmák
- vědmákprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Danish kloge folk, klog mand
- kloge folkprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- klog mandprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- klog koneprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Dutch toverdokters, duivelbanners
- toverdoktersprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- duivelbannersprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
French devins-guérisseurs, leveurs de sorts
- devins-guérisseursprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- leveurs de sortsprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
German Hexenmeister, Kräuterhexen
- Hexenmeisterprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- Kräuterhexenprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Hungarian javasasszony
- javasasszonyprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Portuguese curandeiros, curandeiras
- curandeirosprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- curandeirasprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- benzedeirosprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- benzedeirasprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- mulheres de virtudeprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Russian ведьмак
- ведьмак (vedʹmak)professional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Swedish de kloka pl klok gubbe, klok gumma
- de kloka pl klok gubbeprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- klok gummaprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Welsh dyn hysbys, dynes hysbys
- dyn hysbysprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
- dynes hysbysprofessional or semi-professional practitioner of magic
Cite this entry
APA
cunning folk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cunning%20folk
MLA
“cunning folk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cunning%20folk. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cunning folk,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cunning%20folk.
Source: cunning folk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.