bruja

American  

[broo-huh, broo-khah] / ˈbru hə, ˈbru xɑ /

noun

• brujas
  plural

1. in Latin America and parts of the West Indies, a woman who practices Brujería, a form of witchcraft or traditional religion.

   Many in the town believe she is a bruja who uses her herbal cures for good.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brujas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bruja

First recorded in 1825–35; from Spanish: “owl, witch,” of disputed origin; perhaps from a pre-Roman Celtic term relating to severe weather (akin to Catalan calabruix “hail”); alternatively, possibly distantly akin to Irish briosag “witch” or briocht “amulet, charm”; compare Aragonese broxa, Catalan bruixa, Gascon broucho, Occitan bruèissa, Portuguese bruxa

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bruja brujas

Lafayette is living with his warlock boyfriend Jesus, who prefers to be called a "bruja" because he is Mexican.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2011

But when the Yaqui recommended that he see a Puerto Rican bruja about a cure.

From Time Magazine Archive

Doctors can do little for the pangs of unlucky love, but any bruja worth her fee knows that a dried hummingbird pinned inside a girl's dress will usually bring back a strayed lover.

From Time Magazine Archive

I heard them whispering at night that my uncle had been bewitched, a bruja had put a curse on him.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Needless to say, she is terrified of Chucha, who dresses in purple like a bruja and sleeps in a coffin.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

Sharp lettering sits side-by-side with jovial illustrations of cannons, sombreros and brujas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

But are these friends letting their own fear infect each other, or is it the brujas, because that’s an important distinction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

There’s also plenty of space for midwives, satanists, sex workers, and the wise brujas holding court at local botánicas.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 5, 2017

True Blood "True Blood" recap 4x1: Of fairies, brujas, and "Office Space" Do you remember the first season of "True Blood?"

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2011

And I had heard that Ultima could lift the curses laid by brujas, that she could exorcise the evil the witches planted in people to make them sick.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya