Meaning of "witch" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WITCH

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

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF WITCH

witch  [wɪtʃ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WITCH

Witch is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb witch in English.

WHAT DOES WITCH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Witchcraft

Witchcraft is the use of magical faculties, most commonly for religious, divinatory or medicinal purposes. This may take many forms depending on cultural context. The belief in and the practice of magic has been present since the earliest human cultures and continues to have an important religious and medicinal role in many cultures today. "Magic is central not only in 'primitive' societies but in 'high cultural' societies as well..." The concept of witchcraft as harmful is often treated as a cultural ideology providing a scapegoat for human misfortune. This was particularly the case in the early modern period of Europe where witchcraft came to be seen as part of a vast diabolical conspiracy of individuals in league with the Devil undermining Christianity, eventually leading to large-scale witch-hunts, especially in Protestant Europe. Witch hunts continue to this day with tragic consequences. Since the mid-20th century Witchcraft has become the designation of a branch of modern paganism. It is most notably practiced in the Wiccan and witchcraft traditions, some of whom claim to practice a revival of pre-Abrahamic spirituality.

Definition of witch in the English dictionary

The first definition of witch in the dictionary is historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic. Other definition of witch is 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. Witch is also an ugly or wicked woman.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WITCH

PRESENT

Present

I witch

you witch

he/she/it witches

we witch

you witch

they witch

Present continuous

I am witching

you are witching

he/she/it is witching

we are witching

you are witching

they are witching

Present perfect

I have witched

you have witched

he/she/it has witched

we have witched

you have witched

they have witched

Present perfect continuous

I have been witching

you have been witching

he/she/it has been witching

we have been witching

you have been witching

they have been witching

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I witched

you witched

he/she/it witched

we witched

you witched

they witched

Past continuous

I was witching

you were witching

he/she/it was witching

we were witching

you were witching

they were witching

Past perfect

I had witched

you had witched

he/she/it had witched

we had witched

you had witched

they had witched

Past perfect continuous

I had been witching

you had been witching

he/she/it had been witching

we had been witching

you had been witching

they had been witching

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will witch

you will witch

he/she/it will witch

we will witch

you will witch

they will witch

Future continuous

I will be witching

you will be witching

he/she/it will be witching

we will be witching

you will be witching

they will be witching

Future perfect

I will have witched

you will have witched

he/she/it will have witched

we will have witched

you will have witched

they will have witched

Future perfect continuous

I will have been witching

you will have been witching

he/she/it will have been witching

we will have been witching

you will have been witching

they will have been witching

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would witch

you would witch

he/she/it would witch

we would witch

you would witch

they would witch

Conditional continuous

I would be witching

you would be witching

he/she/it would be witching

we would be witching

you would be witching

they would be witching

Conditional perfect

I would have witch

you would have witch

he/she/it would have witch

we would have witch

you would have witch

they would have witch

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been witching

you would have been witching

he/she/it would have been witching

we would have been witching

you would have been witching

they would have been witching

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you witch
we let´s witch
you witch

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to witch

Past participle

witched

Present Participle

witching

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «WITCH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «witch» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of witch

crone · enchantress · hag · magician · necromancer · occultist · sorceress · Wiccan

TRANSLATION OF WITCH

Find out the translation of witch to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of witch from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «witch» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 巫婆
• Translator English - Spanish: bruja
• English: witch
• Translator English - Hindi: डायन
• Translator English - Arabic: سَاحِرَة
• Translator English - Russian: ведьма
• Translator English - Portuguese: bruxa
• Translator English - Bengali: জাদুকরী
• Translator English - French: sorcière
• Translator English - Malay: Penyihir
• Translator English - German: Hexe
• Translator English - Japanese: 魔女
• Translator English - Korean: 마녀
• Translator English - Javanese: Penyihir
• Translator English - Vietnamese: mụ phù thủy
• Translator English - Tamil: சூனிய
• Translator English - Marathi: ग्लॅमरस
• Translator English - Turkish: cadı
• Translator English - Italian: strega
• Translator English - Polish: czarodziejka
• Translator English - Ukrainian: відьма
• Translator English - Romanian: vrăjitoare
• Translator English - Greek: μάγισσα
• Translator English - Afrikaans: heks
• Translator English - Swedish: häxa
• Translator English - Norwegian: heks

10 QUOTES WITH «WITCH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word witch.

1

Adele

I am never writing a breakup record again, by the way. I'm done with being a bitter witch.

2

Cristela Alonzo

I did the 'Wizard of Oz' in third grade, and I was a witch.

3

Edie Campbell

Sometimes I wake up and think, 'I want to look like Sherlock Holmes today,' and other times I want to look like a witch from 'Macbeth.'

4

Sloane Crosley

Alaska is what happens when Willy Wonka and the witch from Hansel and Gretel elope, buy a place together upstate, renounce their sweet teeth, and turn into health fanatics.

5

Geraldine Ferraro

I'd call it a new version of voodoo economics, but I'm afraid that would give witch doctors a bad name.

6

Stan Freberg

Who are taking to the witch burning Saturday night?

7

Daniel Handler

I didn't like books where people played on a sports team and won a bunch of games, or went to summer camp and had a wonderful time. I really liked a book where a witch might cut a child's head off or a pack of angry dogs might burst through a door and terrorize a family.

8

E. Y. Harburg

Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead.

9

Deborah Harkness

I'm a professional non-fiction reader, that's what I do. But in my 20s we had our own vampire and witch moment, courtesy of Anne Rice, whose books I read and loved.

10

Deborah Harkness

I'd studied 16th century science and magic. I thought it was strange that people were interested in the same kinds of things my research was about. The more I thought about it, the more intriguing it became and pretty soon I was writing a novel about a reluctant witch and a 1500-year-old vampire.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WITCH»

Discover the use of witch in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to witch and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Witch

Julia, a young woman with extraordinary supernatural powers, must decide whether to risk her life to change a future she envisions as horrific, or let fate take its course.

Christopher Pike, 2001

Grimoire for the Green Witch: A Complete Book of Shadows

Grimoire for the Green Witch offers a treasury of magical information- rituals for Esbats and Sabbats, correspondences, circle-casting techniques, sigils, symbols, recitations, spells, teas, oils, baths, and divinations.

Ann Moura, 2012

Which Witch?

Belladonna, the white witch, desperately wants to be a wicked enchantress, but her magic produces flowers instead of snakes. How can she become more devilish than all the other witches? 'Eva Ibbotson weaves a magic like no other.

Eva Ibbotson, 2008

Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer

Drawing on extensive interviews with the accused herself, here is the sordid, twisted, and surprising story of Brookey Lee West--a successful technical writer from Silicon Valley who went on a twenty year crime and killing spree.

Glenn Puit, 2005

Caliban and the Witch

Moving from the peasant revolts of the late Middle Ages to the witch hunts and the rise of mechanical philosophy, Federici investigates the capitalist rationalization of social reproduction.

Silvia Federici, 2004

Witch & Wizard

Can this newly minted witch and wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents--and maybe the world?

James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet, 2009

The Scottish Witch-Hunt in Context

A collection of essays on Scottish witchcraft and witch-hunting, which covers the whole period of the Scottish witch-hunt, from the mid-sixteenth century to the early eighteenth.

Julian Goodare, 2002

Solitary Witch

It relates specifically to today's young adults and their concerns, yet is grounded in the magickal work of centuries past.--From publisher description.

Silver RavenWolf, 2011

Witch

After losing her parents in a rafting accident, Holly Cather is sent to live with her aunt and twin cousins in Seattle, where she discovers a family legacy of magic, possession, and reincarnation, and a generations-old feud.

Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguié, 2002

Witch

When a witch is born, a doppelganger is created. For the witch to master her powers, the twin must be killed. Until now... Created by the merging of witch and doppelganger, Mirei is a unique being.

Marie Brennan, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WITCH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term witch is used in the context of the following news items.

Fan Fiction Comes to Life: Loki and Scarlet Witch Are Dating IRL

The actors who play Loki and Scarlet Witch were spotted on a date night this week. Photographers snapped shots of Avengers film franchise actors Tom ... «TV Guide, Jul 15»

Mob in India drags 'witch' from home, strips her and beheads her. It's …

Acting on the instructions of a self-appointed “goddess,” a mob in the Indian state of Assam accused a woman in her 60s of witchcraft, dragged her from her ... «Washington Post, Jul 15»

Witch doctor jailed for 14 years for treating Mexican drug traffickers

A Nigerian 'witch doctor' has been jailed for 14 years after collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from cocaine traffickers who hoped his 'supernatural ... «Daily Mail, May 15»

Elizabeth Olsen to Jon Stewart: Here's How I Got My Scarlet Witch …

Marvel hired a “movement coach” to work with Olsen to create signature moves for Scarlet Witch representing her ability to warp reality and conjure “chaos ... «Yahoo News, Apr 15»

Watch: 'Salem' Extended Season 2 Trailer Warns of Witch's War

The trailer warns to “prepare for war,” as leading witch Mary Sibley (Janet Montgomery) is ready to fight off any adversaries attempting to vie for control over ... «Variety, Apr 15»

Watch The Massive Power Of Scarlet Witch In New Avengers 2 …

The blockbuster of the summer Avengers: Age of Ultron is almost upon us and with that said it's time to bring a little hype to Scarlet Witch. We've seen some ... «Cinema Blend, Mar 15»

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver Character Posters for Avengers: Age …

Marvel Entertainment (via Yahoo!) has debuted two more character poster for Avengers: Age of Ultron featuring Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch and Aaron ... «ComingSoon.net, Mar 15»

'Seventh Son': The grizzled lion, the witch and ...

A movie review of “Seventh Son,” a sword-and-sorcery epic starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore as the villain. Rating: 1.5 stars out of 4. spell. «The Seattle Times, Feb 15»

Meryl Streep: Into the Woods 'is troubling and weird'

Leading the cast is one of Hollywood's biggest talents, Meryl Streep, who takes on the role of the wicked witch. BBC Breakfast's Charlie Stayt went to meet her ... «BBC News, Jan 15»

Men inspired Meryl Streep's inner 'witch'

Despite seeing Bernadette Peters originate the role on Broadway in the mid-'80s, Streep says, “I wanted to just find my own inner witch, and I didn't even think ... «Page Six, Dec 14»