Pronunciation: ' wich- ˌ h ā -z ə l
Function: noun
Etymology: witch, a tree with pliant branches, from Middle English wyche, from Old English wice; probably akin to Old English w ī can to yield ― more at WEAK
Date: circa 1760
1 : any of a genus ( Hamamelis of the family Hamamelidaceae, the witch-hazel family) of shrubs or small trees with slender-petaled usually yellow flowers borne in late fall or early spring especially : one ( H. virginiana ) of eastern No. America that blooms in the fall
2 : an alcoholic solution of a distillate of the bark of a witch hazel ( H. virginiana ) used as a soothing and mildly astringent lotion