warlock English · revision 811

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈwɔː.lɒk/ ''(UK)''; /ˈwɔɹ.lɑk/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|warloghe]], ''warlau'', ''warlo'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate) [[inh|ang|wǣrloga|t=oath-breaker, traitor; the Devil]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Hoad 1986) from ''wǣr'' “faith, pledge, covenant” and ''-loga'' “liar”, an agent noun related to ''lēogan'' “to lie”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(Hoad 1986) ''Wǣr'' is related to Old High German ''wāra'' “truth” and Old Norse ''várar'' “solemn promise”.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The word has nothing to do with ''war'' or ''lock''.^(Cresswell 2021) The modern ''-ck'' ending is Scottish (1680s).^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In Old English, a traitor, oath-breaker or scoundrel, a damned soul, and a monster or savage creature (before 900).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The original primary sense seems to have been “oath-breaker”.^(Etymonline) About 1000 it was applied especially to the Devil, and also to giants and cannibals.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Hoad 1986) The meaning “one in league with the Devil”, a sorcerer, is recorded from about 1300.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(Hoad 1986) The specific sense “male witch” arose in Scots (1560s),^(Etymonline) and became widely known through Sir Walter Scott's novels in the early 19th century.^(Cresswell 2021) In Middle English the usual form was ''warlow'', which survives as a surname.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 900 – Old English ''wǣrloga'', a damned soul; a demon.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * c. 1000 – the Devil.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1023 – an oath-breaker, traitor.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1300 – a sorcerer in league with the Devil.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1560s – a male witch (Scots).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1680s – spelling ''warlock''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A man who practises [[black magic]]; a male [[witch]]; a [[sorcerer]] or [[wizard]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[conjurer]] or fortune-teller.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[witch]]

+ * [[wizard]]

+ * [[lie]]

+ * [[very]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Unlike ''wizard'', which has neutral or even positive connotations, ''warlock'' chiefly refers to a malevolent user of magic.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}