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witchcraft

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Etymology and origin of the English word witchcraft

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Old English, Ælfric's Lives of Saints
Ultimate origin
Old English wicce,cræft

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹɑːft/[1]
  • US: /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹæft/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wicchecraft,[2][3][4][5] inherited from Old English wiccecræft (“witchcraft, magic”),[2][3][5] a compound from Old English wicce (“witch”) + cræft (“power, skill”).[2][3][6] The first part is witch, from wicce, the feminine of wicca (“sorcerer, wizard”);[2][3][7] the second is craft.[2][6] Old English also had wiccedom.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Magic or other supernatural practices, especially for evil ends: in Old English, first in Ælfric's Lives of Saints;[6][8] the plural, acts of magic or spells, is also Old English.[6]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English the word covered sorcery and necromancy as an activity, a body of knowledge or a subject of study, as well as superstitious or heathen practices, supernatural power and its usually harmful effects;[5] the Ormulum has wicche crafftess about 1175, and the Ancrene Wisse (about 1230) listed it with charms and belief in dreams.[5] Witchcraft was declared a crime in English law in 1542; trials peaked in the 1580s and 1640s and fell off sharply after 1660, the last, in 1717, ended in acquittal, and the Witchcraft Act was repealed in 1736.[2][9] The figurative sense, a captivating charm or an influence that seems magical, is recorded from about 1550;[6] Johnson (1755), who defined the word as "the practices of witches", quoted Shakespeare's "he hath a witchcraft over the king in's tongue".[10][3] In Scotland from 1572 to 1662 it could also mean the objects used in a spell.[6] In Norfolk dialect a witchcraft was a witch herself.[11] Since 1954, when Gardner used it in a book title, the word has also named a modern pagan religion drawing on pre-Christian beliefs, also called Wicca.[6][12]

Timeline

  • Old English – magic, supernatural practices (Ælfric's Lives of Saints); plural, spells.[6]
  • c. 1175 – wicche crafftess in the Ormulum.[5]
  • 1542 – witchcraft made a crime in English law.[2][9]
  • c. 1550 – bewitching charm or fascination.[6]
  • 1572 – Scottish, objects used in a spell (obsolete after 1662).[6]
  • 1736 – the Witchcraft Act repealed.[2][9]
  • 1954 – a modern pagan belief system, in a title by Gardner.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The use of magic or sorcery, especially with evil intent; the practices of witches: The village healer was accused of witchcraft.[3][12][6]
  2. An act of magic; a spell or charm.[3][6]
  3. An irresistible influence or fascination; enchantment.[3][6][13]
  4. A modern pagan religion drawing on pre-Christian beliefs and rituals; Wicca.[6][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b c Simpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Steve (2000), A Dictionary of English Folklore, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  11. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  12. ^ a b c Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  13. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Witchcraft.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/witchcraft. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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