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View synonyms for witch

witch

[ wich ]

noun

  1. a person, especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress: Compare warlock ( def ).

    This novel was about a meek businessman marrying a beautiful witch who uses her magic to help him succeed in business.

  2. a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers:

    The movie features stereotypical witches in black robes and pointed hats.

  3. a person who practices magic as a spiritual observance, especially as associated with neopaganism or Wicca:

    She became a witch after an interest in tarot and astrology led her to classes at a local mystic shop.

  4. an ugly or mean old woman; hag:

    She was constantly in conflict with the old witch who used to own the building.

  5. a person who uses a divining rod; dowser:

    They hired a water witch to find the best location for the new well.



verb (used with object)

  1. to bring or cause by or as if by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.):

    She witched him into going.

  2. Archaic. to affect as if by witchcraft; bewitch; charm.

verb (used without object)

  1. to prospect with a divining rod; dowse:

    She witches for water, oil, and minerals, but won't take money for her services.

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or designed as protection against witches:

    Bad weather, decreased income, and weak government may have contributed to the witch trial period in Europe.

    A witch bottle contained a number of different objects and ingredients to make up a defensive spell.

witch

1

/ wɪtʃ /

noun

  1. a flatfish, Pleuronectes (or Glyptocephalus ) cynoglossus, of N Atlantic coastal waters, having a narrow greyish-brown body marked with tiny black spots: family Pleuronectidae (plaice, flounders, etc)


witch

2

/ wɪtʃ /

noun

  1. historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic
  2. a practitioner of a Nature-based religion founded on ancient beliefs, which honours both a male and female divine principle and includes the practice of magic, esp healing magic, and divination
  3. informal.
    an ugly or wicked woman
  4. a fascinating or enchanting woman
  5. short for water witch

verb

  1. tr to cause or change by or as if by witchcraft
  2. a less common word for bewitch

witch-

3

prefix

  1. having pliant branches

    witchweed

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Derived Forms

  • ˈwitchˌlike, adjective

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Other Words From

  • witch·hood noun
  • witch·like adjective
  • un·der·witch noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of witch1

First recorded before 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce, feminine of wicca “wizard”; wicked

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Word History and Origins

Origin of witch1

C19: perhaps from witch 1, alluding to the appearance of the fish

Origin of witch2

Old English wicca; related to Middle Low German wicken to conjure, Swedish vicka to move to and fro

Origin of witch3

Old English wice and wic; probably from Germanic wik- bend

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Example Sentences

You would think I’d be sick of reading about catastrophes after a god-awful year, but I found Gabbert’s collection of essays about our darkest moments, including September 11, Chernobyl, witch hunts, and, yes, pandemics, to be strangely comforting.

He also asks about quitting, witch trials, and whether we need a Manhattan Project for climate change.

He still loves Halloween, and this Saturday his house’s decorations will be themed around the “Hocus Pocus” witches.

TikTok, with its 49 million daily users in the US, is impossibly diverse, a home for comedians and singers and witches and police officers and protesters.

From Vox

Mulan runs away from home to take her father’s place in the army and fight a powerful witch.

He once experimented with dressing as “Hilda the Wicked Witch” as a way to expand his business to Halloween.

Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.

In her mind, the entire ordeal was a witch-hunt led by the local authorities.

She faces a jury of famous villains and a judge from the Salem witch trials.

Likewise, pressure must be placed on Egypt to abandon its witch hunt of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Belle, my mother, and I rode home about midnight in a fine display of lightning and witch-fires.

But the Witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms.

The Witch did not wish me to marry the girl, so she enchanted my sword, which began hacking me to pieces.

It was while she was away on this errand that Dorothy's house fell on the Wicked Witch, and she turned to dust and blew away.

Halgernon was a barrystir—that is, he lived in Pump Cort, Temple: a wulgar naybrood, witch praps my readers don't no.

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