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REFERENCE

witch

n. · v.
US //ˈwɪtʃ// UK //wˈɪtʃ// witch
  1. 1 magical person (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a person, usually a woman, who uses magic or spells.

    a person, typically female, credited with supernatural powers or the practice of sorcery.

    Example

    The children dressed up as a witch and a wizard for the party.

    Example

    Folklore often depicts the witch as a solitary figure living on the fringes of society, possessing herbal knowledge that neighbors both feared and sought.
  2. 2 unpleasant woman (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    an unkind or mean name for a woman you do not like.

    a derogatory figurative label for an unpleasant, cruel, or ill-tempered woman.

    Example

    My old boss was a total witch who never let anyone take a break.

    Example

    The tabloid press unfairly characterized the actress as a witch after she refused to answer personal questions during the interview.
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  1. 3 modern pagan (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    a person who follows a modern religion like Wicca that respects nature and uses rituals.

    a practitioner of Wicca or a related neopagan religion, often emphasizing a connection to the natural world.

    Example

    She identifies as a witch and celebrates the changing of the seasons.

    Example

    Modern witches often distinguish their spiritual practices from the stereotypical portrayals found in horror films and fairy tales.
  2. 4 to find water (v.)
    C2 Proficiency American English Dialect

    to use a special stick to try to find water underground.

    to search for underground water or minerals using a dowsing rod.

    Example

    The farmer tried to witch for water before digging the new well.

    Example

    Despite the lack of scientific evidence, some rural communities still hire specialists to witch for water when a new borehole is required.
    • dowse
  3. 5 to cast a spell (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    to use magic on someone or something.

    to influence or affect by or as if by witchcraft.

    Example

    The old stories say she could witch the cattle so they gave no milk.

    Example

    In the ballad, the mysterious lady attempted to witch the knight into forgetting his home and family.
Etymology 1

The noun is from Middle English wicche, from Old English wiċċe (“witch (female), sorceress”) and wiċċa (“witch (male), sorcerer, warlock”), deverbative from wiċċian (“to practice sorcery”), from Proto-Germanic wikkōną (compare West Frisian wikje, wikke (“to foretell, warn”), German Low German wicken (“to soothsay”), Dutch wikken, wichelen (“to dowse, divine”)), from Proto-Indo-European wik-néh₂-, derivation of *weyk- (“to consecrate; separate”); akin to Latin victima (“sacrificial victim”), Lithuanian viẽkas (“life-force”), Sanskrit विनक्ति (vinákti, “to set apart, separate out”). Possibly related to wicked; see that entry for more. The verb derives from the noun.

Etymology 2

From Middle English wicchen, from Old English wiċċian, from Proto-Germanic wikkōną, from Proto-Indo-European wik-néh₂-, derivation of *weyk-. In the senses arising in Middle English and later probably aphetic from bewitch.

Etymology 3

Compare wick.

Etymology 4

Chosen for its euphemistic rhyme.

Word family

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