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Witch

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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Dictionaries
American Tract Society
• Witch and Wizard
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Witch
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Witch
Holman Bible Dictionary
• Witch
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Witch, Witchcraft
King James Dictionary
• Witch
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Witch, Witchcraft
People's Bible Dictionary
• Witch and Wizard
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Witch
Webster Dictionary
• Water Witch
• Witch
• Witch-Elm
•   (only first 3 shown)
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Witch
• Witch Brooms
• Witch of Agnesi
•   (only first 3 shown)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• En-Dor, Witch of
• Witch; Witchcraft
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Witch
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Witch
• Witch of Endor
• Witch of Endor.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Witch of Endor
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Endor, the Witch of
Lexicons
• כָּשַׁף

and Wizard. These two words are now generally used of an adept of the black art, a sorcerer, magician, female and male respectively (see Magic and Witchcraft). "Witch," formerly of common gender, represents O. Eng. wicca (masc.), wicce (fern.), agent-nouns to wiccian, to practise sorcery, probably a causative verb from O. Eng. wican, to give way (cf. "weak"), and therefore signifying to avert (evil), conjure away. So Norweg. vikja means (I) to turn aside, (2) to exorcise. The participial "wicked" means witch-like. "Wizard" is formed from "wise," with the slightly contemptuous Anglo-French suffix -ard, as in drunkard, laggard, sluggard, &c.