witch

witch
\ \ [OE] The close Germanic relatives of witch have died out, but it seems that it may be related to German weihenconsecrate’ and even, distantly, to English victim (etymologically ‘someone killed in a religious ritual’), so the word’s underlying signification is of a ‘priestess’. Wicked was derived from Old English wiccawizard’, the masculine form of wicce, ancestor of modern English witch.
\ \ Cf.WICKED

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”