Witchcraft

How to spell witchcraft

10 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce witchcraft

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does witchcraft mean?

1. nounThe practice of magic, especially the use of spells and the invocation of supernatural powers.

Witchcraft in a sentence

• The museum exhibit traced the history of witchcraft in rural villages.

• In the seventeenth century, many women were accused of witchcraft on flimsy evidence.

Where does witchcraft come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a thoroughly native English word, formed from two Old English elements: wicce, meaning a female practitioner of magic, and cræft, which meant strength, skill, or a learned trade. The earliest form, wiccecræft, literally described the skill or art of the witch, and it is recorded in Old English from around the year 890. The wicce element is the ancestor of the modern word 'witch', and it once had a male counterpart, wicca, which has been revived in modern times as the name of a contemporary pagan movement. The 'craft' half is the same word that survives in 'handicraft' and 'aircraft', reminding us that the original sense leaned on practical skill rather than pure superstition. Because both halves are plain Old English compounds, the spelling is phonetic apart from the silent 't' in 'witch' that pairs with the hard 'c' to make the 'ch' sound.

How the word is built

• witch (from Old English wicce: sorceress)
• craft (from Old English cræft: skill, power)