witch⋅craft
[wich-kraft, -krahft] 
| 1. | the art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic. |
| 2. | magical influence; witchery. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| witch·craft (wĭch'krāft') n.
|
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Witchcraft
Witch"craft`\, n. [AS. wiccecr[ae]ft.]1. The practices or art of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with evil spirits. 2. Power more than natural; irresistible influence. He hath a witchcraft Over the king in 's tongue. --Shak.Cite This Source
witchcraft
Popularly believed to be the practice of black magic. Witches are known today as followers of Wicca, a pagan nature religion with roots in pre-Christian western Europe. Wicca is now undergoing a revival, especially in the United States and Great Britain.
Note: Old misunderstandings and hysterical accusations have led to persecution of “witches,” most famously in the Salem witch trials of 1692.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Witchcraft
(1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture. The "witch of En-dor" (1 Sam. 28) was a necromancer, i.e., one who feigned to hold converse with the dead. The damsel with "a spirit of divination" (Acts 16:16) was possessed by an evil spirit, or, as the words are literally rendered, "having a spirit, a pithon." The reference is to the heathen god Apollo, who was regarded as the god of prophecy.
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