witch
noun /wɪtʃ/
/wɪtʃ/
Idioms - a woman who is believed to have magic powers, especially to do evil things. In stories, she usually wears a black pointed hat and flies on a broomstick.
- Many people believed her to be a witch.
- She sat astride the broomstick, just like a witch in a fairy tale.
- I have a pointy black hat for my Halloween witch costume.
CultureWitches are often shown in pictures and described in stories as ugly old women with black clothes and pointed hats, who are able to fly on broomsticks (= old-fashioned brushes with long handles, used for cleaning floors). In the past, women who were considered to be witches were burnt alive or hanged. In the late 20th century some people began to call themselves witches as part of the New Age interest in ancient beliefs and cultures.Homophones which | witchwhich witch/wɪtʃ//wɪtʃ/- which pronoun
- Which would you prefer—chocolate cake or carrot cake?
- witch noun
- He was turned into a rat by a wicked witch.
- (disapproving) an ugly, unpleasant old woman
Word OriginOld English wicca (masculine), wicce (feminine), wiccian (verb).
Idioms
a witch’s/an evil brew
- (British English, informal) an unpleasant drink that is a mixture of different things