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Witch

//wɪt͡ʃ// name, noun, verb

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
Acronym of Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, historical
"Late that year the New York Rat covered a feminist demonstration staged by the radical group WITCH (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell), whose marchers exorcised money from the financial district and protested exploitive burlesque houses in downtown New York."

Noun

1
A person (now usually particularly a woman) who uses magical or similar supernatural powers to influence or predict events.
"He cannot abide the old woman of Brentford; he swears she's a witch."
2
A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat and used as a taper.
3
A bitch. euphemistic
4
a being (usually female) imagined to have special powers derived from the devil wordnet
5
A woman who follows Wicca or similar New Age pagan beliefs.
"To be considered a Witch of a particular tradition you will have to be initiated into that tradition by someone else within that tradition, after following their specific program of study."

Show 12 more definitions

6
a female sorcerer or magician wordnet
7
An ugly or unpleasant woman. derogatory, figuratively
"I hate that old witch."
8
an ugly evil-looking old woman wordnet
9
One who exercises more-than-common power of attraction; a charming or bewitching person.
10
a female believer in Wicca wordnet
11
One given to mischief, especially a woman or child.
12
A certain curve of the third order, described by Maria Agnesi under the name versiera.
13
A storm petrel.
14
Any of a number of flatfish of species:; Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, the witch flounder or Torbay sole, found in the North Atlantic.
15
Any of a number of flatfish of species:; Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (megrim), found in the North Atlantic.
16
Any of a number of flatfish of species:; Arnoglossus scapha, found near New Zealand.
17
An Indomalayan butterfly, of Araotes lapithis, of the family Lycaenidae.

Verb

1
To dowse for water. intransitive
"And I told him there's a vein down there, I know 'caus I used to—uh, I went out here and witched one for this house, at the corner."
2
To practise witchcraft. intransitive, obsolete
3
cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something wordnet
4
To bewitch. transitive
"She has witched the Queen's womb long ago, and witched the whole harvest."

Etymology

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

Etymology 3

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 4

Compare wick.

Etymology 5

Chosen for its euphemistic rhyme.

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