n. & v.
n. 1 a sorceress, esp. a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits. 2 an ugly old woman; a hag. 3 a fascinating girl or woman. 4 a flat-fish, Pleuronectes cynoglossus, resembling the lemon sole.
v.tr. archaic 1 bewitch. 2 fascinate, charm, lure. witch-doctor a tribal magician of primitive people. witches' sabbath see SABBATH 3. witch-hunt 1 hist. a search for and persecution of supposed witches. 2 a campaign directed against a particular group of those holding unpopular or unorthodox views, esp. communists. the witching hour midnight, when witches are supposedly active (after Shakesp. Hamlet III. ii. 377 the witching time of night). witching adj. witchlike adj.
[ OE wicca (masc.), wicce (fem.), rel. to wiccian (v.) practise magic arts ]