• enPR: wĭch, IPA: /wɪtʃ/

witch (plural witches)

1. A person who practices witchcraft; a woman or (now, uncommon) man who practices witchcraft.
   • a. 1472, Thomas Malory, “Capitulum viij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book I, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, OCLC 71490786 ↗; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: Published by David Nutt, […], 1889, OCLC 890162034 ↗:

     Some of the kynges had merueyl of Merlyns wordes and demed well that it shold be as he said / And som of hem lough hym to scorne / as kyng Lot / and mo other called hym a wytche / But thenne were they accorded with Merlyn that kynge Arthur shold come oute and speke with the kynges.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   1. (now usually particularly) A woman who is learned in and actively practices witchcraft.
      • c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene 2]:

        He cannot abide the old woman of Brentford; he swears she's a witch.

2. (derogatory) An ugly or unpleasant woman.

   I hate that old witch.

3. One who exercises more-than-common power of attraction; a charming or bewitching person.
4. One given to mischief, especially a woman or child.
5. (geometry) A certain curve of the third order, described by Maria Agnesi under the name versiera.
6. The stormy petrel.
7. Any of a number of flatfish:
   1. Glyptocephalus cynoglossus (Torbay sole), found in the North Atlantic.
   2. Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (megrim), found in the North Atlantic.
   3. Arnoglossus scapha, found near New Zealand.
8. The Indomalayan butterfly Araotes lapithis, of the family Lycaenidae.

• (person who uses magic) seeSynonyms en
• (female magic user) wizardess, sorceress
• (male magic user) wizard, sorcerer, warlock
• (an ugly or unpleasant woman) seeSynonyms en

• French: sorcière, stryge (literaly or archaic)
• German: Hexe, Gabelreiterin, Hexer, Hexenmeister
• Italian: strega, fattucchiera, versiera, maliarda, saga (obsolete, literary)
• Portuguese: bruxa, estria, estrige, feiticeira
• Russian: ве́дьма
• Spanish: bruja, hechicera, maga

• French: sorcière, harpie
• German: Hexe
• Portuguese: bruxa
• Russian: ве́дьма
• Spanish: bruja

witch (witches, present participle witching; past and past participle witched)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To practise witchcraft.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To bewitch.
3. (intransitive) To dowse for water.

witch (plural witches)

1. A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat and used as a taper.