Origin of witch

before 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce (feminine; compare wicca(masculine) wizard; see wicked)

OTHER WORDS FROM witch

witch·hood, noun witch·like, adjective un·der·witch, noun

Example sentences from the Web for witch

British Dictionary definitions for witch (1 of 2)

witch 1
/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

verb

(tr) to cause or change by or as if by witchcraft
a less common word for bewitch

Derived forms of witch

witchlike, adjective

Word Origin for witch

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

British Dictionary definitions for witch (2 of 2)

witch 2
/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

a flatfish, Pleuronectes (or Glyptocephalus) cynoglossus, of N Atlantic coastal waters, having a narrow greyish-brown body marked with tiny black spots: family Pleuronectidae (plaice, flounders, etc)

Word Origin for witch

C19: perhaps from witch 1, alluding to the appearance of the fish