witchcraft

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈwɪtʃ.kræft/ UK /ˈwɪtʃ.krɑːft/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the practice of magic, especially involving spells and supernatural powers

The old woman was accused of witchcraft by her neighbors.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the practice of magic,... sorcery magic wizardry enchantment necromancy witcheryspellcraft

Word family

Related forms witch craft

Etymology

From Old English wiċċecræft, a compound of wicce ('witch') + cræft ('skill, art, power'), thus literally 'the craft of a witch'.

wicce Old English cræft Old English

View etymology graph ->

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# witchcraft

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɪtʃ.kræft/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈwɪtʃ.krɑːft/

## Meanings
1. the practice of magic, especially involving spells and supernatural powers

## Examples
- The old woman was accused of witchcraft by her neighbors.

## Synonyms
- sorcery
- magic
- wizardry
- enchantment
- necromancy
- witchery
- spellcraft

## Related Forms
- witch
- craft

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wicce
- Root: cræft

## Etymology
From Old English wiċċecræft, a compound of wicce ('witch') + cræft ('skill, art, power'), thus literally 'the craft of a witch'.

## AI Etymology
Witchcraft comes from Old English wiċċecræft, a compound of wicce ('witch') + cræft ('skill, art, power'), thus literally 'the craft of a witch'. In current use it is a noun meaning "the practice of magic, especially involving spells and supernatural powers". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. The historical chain includes Old English wicce and Old English cræft. Related English forms include witch and craft. The word's history is thus visible in its construction: the components remain interpretable even after the whole expression has settled into a conventional English meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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