witchmongern.
/ˈwɪtʃˌmʌŋɡə/, U.S. /ˈwɪtʃˌmɑŋɡər/, /ˈwɪtʃˌməŋɡər/ depreciative. Now historical.
A person who believes in, or encourages belief in, the magical powers of witches or witchcraft.Chiefly with reference to those making accusations of witchcraft against others, esp. women, during the witch craze of the 16th and 17th cent. Cf. witch craze n. at witch n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > [noun] > one who promotes
witchmonger1584
magic-monger1656
1584 R. Scot (title) The discouerie of witchcraft, wherein the lewde dealing of witches and witchmongers is notablie detected.
1677 J. Webster Displaying Supposed Witchcraft i. 17 To attribute these stupendious effects (as the Vulgar and Witchmongers use to do) unto the Devil.
1868 N. Amer. Rev. Jan. 203 The witchmongers were put to strange shifts by way of accounting for it.
1903 Sat. Rev. 24 Jan. 110/2 Mr. Podmore..traces its pedigree through Rosicrucians, witchmongers,..and Swedenborg.
1998 Renaissance Q. 51 995 It is one of the enduring perplexities of the European witch hunt that some of the most learned and innovative thinkers of the era were also the most vehement and apparently credulous witchmongers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1584