hag

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an insulting term for an old woman regarded as ugly, unpleasant, or frightening

   The tale cruelly portrayed the solitary old woman as a hag.

2. 2
   noun

   a witch or female demon in folklore

   In the legend, a hag haunted the marsh after nightfall.

From Middle English hagge, a shortening of Old English hægtesse ("witch, fury"). Cognates include Dutch heks and German Hexe ("witch"); English hex is a doublet from the same Germanic family. The word later became a derogatory label for an old woman.

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