What Does The English Word “Witches” Mean?

Witchcraft is a term that refers to the practice of using supernatural powers to control people or events, often involving sorcery or magic. It has been seen differently in different historical and cultural contexts, but it is often seen as the work of crones who use these powers to communicate with the devil or familiars. Witchcraft is also associated with rituals and practices that incorporate belief in the Air element, which is one of the four classical elements in alchemy.

Historically, witchcraft was often associated with folk medicine and healing. However, the term “witchcraft” has evolved over time to encompass the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others. This remains the most common and common interpretation of witchcraft, with the person engaging in witchcraft being accused of such practices.

The meaning of witchcraft is the use of magic powers, especially evil ones, to bring harm upon others. In traditional stories and contexts, witchcraft is often associated with the use of magic powers, especially for evil purposes. The person engaging in witchcraft is often charged with the act of witchcraft, and there are five meanings listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) entry for the noun witchcraft, with one of them being obsolete.

What is the exact meaning of witch?

A witch is a person, particularly a woman, often credited with having malignant supernatural powers. The modern visual image of a witch, popularized by The Wizard of Oz, is an old hag with a hooked nose and mole, wearing a pointed hat and flowing robes. In the past, horror stories focused on supernatural creatures like mad scientists, zombies, ghosts, witches, vampires, and damsels in distress. Fairy tale witches are rude and tend to cackle at others’ misfortunes.

Is witchcraft a religion?

Wicca, an alternative minority religion founded in the UK in the 1940s, is part of the contemporary pagan movement, which includes druids and heathens. Since its arrival in the US in the 1960s, Wicca has been growing, with an estimated 1. 5 million witches in the US. However, not all witches consider themselves Wiccans, with approximately 800, 000 Americans being Wiccans according to recent survey data. The increasing numbers in surveys and the growth of groups on platforms like TikTok suggest that the religion is continuing to grow.

What is the full meaning of witchcraft?

Witchcraft is the practice of using alleged supernatural powers to inflict harm or misfortune on others, with the term “witchcraft” traditionally referring to the use of magic or supernatural powers to inflict harm. This stereotype has a long history and has been a viable explanation of evil in many cultures. The belief in witchcraft has been found in various societies worldwide, with anthropologists applying the English term to similar beliefs in occult practices.

In Europe, belief in witchcraft traces back to classical antiquity. In medieval and early modern Europe, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have used black magic or maleficium against their own community. These accusations were made by neighbors and followed from social tensions. Witches were sometimes said to have communed with evil beings or the Devil, but anthropologist Jean La Fontaine notes that such accusations were mainly made against “enemies of the Church”.

Witchcraft was thought to be thwarted by protective magic or counter-magic, which could be provided by the “cunning folk” or “wise people”. Suspected witches were often intimidated, banished, attacked, or killed, and were often formally prosecuted and punished. European belief in witchcraft gradually dwindled during and after the Age of Enlightenment.

Indigenous belief systems that include the concept of witchcraft also define witches as malevolent and seek healers and medicine people for protection against witchcraft. Some African and Melanesian peoples believe witches are driven by an evil spirit or substance, and modern witch-hunting takes place in parts of Africa and Asia.

What is a synonym for the word witchcraft?

Witchcraft is a term used to describe the art of sorcery, often associated with folk medicine and healing. It involves casting spells and divining the future, often associated with black magic or necromancy. The term has various meanings across different regions, with some viewing it as a part of the Wiccan religion, while others view it as evil and involving dark forces or magic. It can also refer to a bewitching charm. The views expressed in these examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary. com or its editors.

What does it mean when someone calls you a witch?

A witch is a woman believed to have a connection with the devil, often characterized by traditional narratives as old, malevolent, and unattractive.

What is the opposite of witchcraft?

The antithesis of witchcraft is science, knowledge, logic, rationality, education, information, expertise, and wisdom. These are distinguished by remarkable personal charisma and the capacity to exert control over natural forces in a manner that may be perceived as supernatural.

What is a female witch called?

An enchantress is a supernatural figure, often referred to as a magician, sorcerer, or wizard. In fantasy, an enchantress is a female character who uses magic. The Enchantress can be seen in various works, such as Tchaikovsky’s opera, Victor Herbert’s 1911 operetta, Leigh Brackett’s 1949 short story “The Enchantress of Venus”, Sylvia Engdahl’s 1971 novel “The Enchantress from the Stars”, Han Suyin’s 1985 novel “The Enchantress of Florence”, Salman Rushdie’s 2008 novel “The Enchantress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel”, and the 1909 film “Charodeyka” directed by Pyotr Chardynin and Vasily Goncharov.

Where does the Bible talk about witchcraft?

Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 19:26, Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11 all prohibit the practice of necromancy, divination, and soothsaying. These laws are portrayed as foreign and are the only part of the Hebrew Bible to mention such practices. The presence of laws forbidding necromancy proves that it was practiced throughout Israel’s history.

The exact difference between the three forbidden forms of necromancy mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:11 is uncertain, as yidde’oni (“wizard”) is always used together with ob (“consulter with familiar spirits”) and its semantic similarity to doresh el ha-metim (“necromancer” or “one who directs inquiries to the dead”) raises the question of why all three are mentioned in the same verse. The Jewish tractate Sanhedrin distinguishes between a doresh el ha-metim, a person who would sleep in a cemetery after starving himself, to become possessed, and a yidde’oni, a wizard.

In summary, the prohibition of necromancy in the Hebrew Bible is a significant aspect of Jewish history.

What is the purpose of witchcraft?

Witchcraft, a practice of summoning evil spirits and demons to cause harm, was closely linked to religion in the medieval Church. Priests could exorcise those possessed by malign spirits. In the 16th century, people believed witchcraft explained sudden ill-fortune, leading to an obsession with witch-hunting. The Witchcraft Act, passed in 1542, defined witchcraft as a crime punishable by death. It was repealed five years later but restored in 1562. Witch-hunting became an obsession in some parts of the country.

What is the meaning of witchcraft in Oxford dictionary?

Witchcraft is a malevolent practice of supernatural powers, particularly by women, often associated with evil spirits. It has been documented in ancient Greek and Roman texts, such as Medea’s use of sorcery to help Jason win the Golden Fleece. In the Old Testament, King Saul consults the Witch of Endor. In the early Middle Ages, popular superstition associated witchcraft with demonic possession and the rejection of God. The Inquisition dealt with cases of witchcraft involving heresy, and secular courts, particularly in Germany, punished these crimes with cruelty.

Mass persecutions began in the 15th century, with the publication of Malleus Maleficarum in 1487, which described witches’ sabbaths, night-flying, intercourse with the devil, transformation into animals, and malicious spells. Witches were popularly depicted with a black cat and a broomstick. The 16th-century Reformers and religious wars further contributed to the persecution of witches. The last trials for witchcraft in England were in 1712, and on the Continent in Prussia in 1793.

In America, the belief in witchcraft was rife, but the Salem witch trials caused a general revulsion. In the 17th century, better education led to the rejection of belief in witchcraft, but popular superstition survived longer. In the 20th century, a new kind of witchcraft, claiming to be a revival of pre-Christian pagan religion, has been practiced by a small number of adherents and is associated with allegations of animal sacrifice and child sexual abuse.

What is the difference between magic and witchcraft?

Magic is the practice of using charms, spells, and rituals to control events or govern supernatural forces. It can be positive, such as love magic or canoe magic, or malevolent, like witchcraft or sorcery. Sorcery involves intentionally using powers for harmful purposes, often using artificial means. Witchcraft involves possessing supernatural power through a pact with evil spirits, which can be involuntarily exerted.

These practices operate at the individual level and often oppose organized entities. Access to full content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase, while public users can search the site and view abstracts and keywords.