Witch Definition

wĭch
witched, witches, witching
noun
witches
A person, esp. a woman, having supernatural power as by a compact with the devil or evil spirits.
Webster's New World
An ugly and ill-tempered old woman; hag; crone.
Webster's New World

A practitioner or follower of white magic or of Wicca.

Webster's New World
A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.
American Heritage
A bewitching or fascinating woman or girl.
Webster's New World
verb
witched, witching
To put a magic spell on; bewitch.
Webster's New World
Webster's New World
To cause, bring, or effect by witchcraft.
American Heritage
To charm; fascinate.
Webster's New World
To use a divining rod to find underground water or minerals; dowse.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Witch

Noun

Singular:
witch
Plural:
witches

Origin of Witch

  • From Middle English wicche, from Old English wiÄ‹Ä‹e (“sorceress, witch") and wicca (“witch, sorcerer, warlock"), from Proto-Germanic *wikjô (“necromancer, waker of the dead") (compare West Frisian wikke (“witch"), Low German wikken, wicken (“to use witchcraft"), Old High German wÄ«han (“to consecrate"), Old English wiÄ¡le (“divination")), from Proto-Indo-European *weik- 'to choose, sacrifice, conjure'; akin to Latin victima (“sacrificial victim"), Lithuanian viekas (“life-force"), Sanskrit विनक्ति (vinákti, “to sift, separate out").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English wicche from Old English wicce witch and wicca wizard, sorcerer weg- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Compare wick.

    From Wiktionary

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