witch

witch
n. & v.
—n.
1 a sorceress, esp. a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits.
2 an ugly old woman; a hag.
3 a fascinating girl or woman.
4 a flat-fish, Pleuronectes cynoglossus, resembling the lemon sole.
—v.tr. archaic 1 bewitch.
2 fascinate, charm, lure.
Phrases and idioms:
witch-doctor a tribal magician of primitive people. witches' sabbath see SABBATH 3. witch-hunt
1 hist. a search for and persecution of supposed witches.
2 a campaign directed against a particular group of those holding unpopular or unorthodox views, esp. communists. the witching hour midnight, when witches are supposedly active (after Shakesp. Hamlet III. ii. 377 the witching time of night).
Derivatives:
witching adj. witchlike adj.
Etymology: OE wicca (masc.), wicce (fem.), rel. to wiccian (v.) practise magic arts

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • Witch — Witch, n. [OE. wicche, AS. wicce, fem., wicca, masc.; perhaps the same word as AS. w[=i]tiga, w[=i]tga, a soothsayer (cf. {Wiseacre}); cf. Fries. wikke, a witch, LG. wikken to predict, Icel. vitki a wizard, vitka to bewitch.] [1913 Webster] 1.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • witch — O.E. wicce female magician, sorceress, in later use especially a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits and to be able by their cooperation to perform supernatural acts, fem. of O.E. wicca sorcerer, wizard, man who… …   Etymology dictionary

  • witch — witch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {witched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {witching}.] [AS. wiccian.] To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant. [1913 Webster] [I ll] witch sweet ladies with my words and looks. Shak. [1913 Webster] Whether within us or without The spell… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • witch|y — «WIHCH ee», adjective, witch|i|er, witch|i|est. = witchlike. (Cf. ↑witchlike) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Witch — Witch, n. [Cf. {Wick} of a lamp.] A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat, and used as a taper. [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • witch — [wıtʃ] n ↑broomstick [: Old English; Origin: wicca wizard and wicce witch ] 1.) a woman who is supposed to have magic powers, especially to do bad things →↑wizard 2.) informal an insulting word for a woman who is old or unpleasant …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • witch — [wich] n. [ME wicche < OE wicce, fem. of wicca, sorcerer, akin to MDu wicken, to use magic < IE base * weik , to separate (hence set aside for religious worship) > Goth weihs, holy, OE wig, idol] 1. a person, esp. a woman, having… …   English World dictionary

  • witch — [ wıtʃ ] noun count * 1. ) a woman in stories who has magic powers. A man with magic powers is usually called a wizard. a ) a real woman who claims she has magic powers 2. ) an insulting word for an unpleasant woman …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • witch — [n] person who casts spells over others conjurer, enchanter, magician, necromancer, occultist, sorcerer; concepts 361,412,415 …   New thesaurus

  • witch — ► NOUN 1) a woman thought to have evil magic powers. 2) a follower or practitioner of modern witchcraft. 3) informal an ugly or unpleasant old woman. ► VERB archaic 1) practise witchcraft. 2) cast an evil spell on …   English terms dictionary

  • witch|er|y — «WIHCH uhr ee, WIHCH ree», noun, plural er|ies. 1. witchcraft; magic. 2. Figurative. charm; fascination …   Useful english dictionary

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