coven

American  

[kuhv-uhn, koh-vuhn] / ˈkʌv ən, ˈkoʊ vən /

noun

1. an assembly of witches, especially a group of thirteen.

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coven British  

/ ˈkʌvən /

noun

1. a meeting of witches

2. a company of 13 witches

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Etymology

Origin of coven

1500–10 for sense “assembly”; 1655–65 for current sense; variant of obsolete covent assembly, religious group, convent

Explanation

A group of witches is called a coven. In books, a coven of witches often gather at night to make potions and cast spells. The mythology of witches has them meeting under cover of night, often in mysterious groups of 13. Although there are only three of them, the "weird sisters" in Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" could be considered a coven. To people who follow the contemporary religion called Wicca, a coven is a gathering, no different from a congregation in Christianity. The word coven arose in the mid-1600s, ultimately from the Latin root conventus, "assembly."

Example Sentences

Mr Hamson, who now lives in Coven, in Staffordshire, said learning more about his background had made him become a "much nicer chap".

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2024

“It’s really cool when it works out and we find exactly what they’re looking for,” says Pat Finn Coven, co-owner of Ballard Reuse.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2023

Let's be real: "American Horror Story" stopped leaning on good writing with a tight plot after its third season, "Coven," which ended in 2014.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2023

As for what’s next, Connor is set to star in a new horror-thriller, “One of Us,” and Locke recently shot “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” Marvel’s “WandaVision” spinoff.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

Coven houses had luxurious guest rooms with showers and any kind of beauty treatment or ointment you could want for their members.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega