witchcraft

[ wich-kraft, -krahft ]

/ ˈwɪtʃˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR witchcraft ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic.

magical influence; witchery.

Nearby words

Origin of witchcraft

before 950; Middle English wicchecraft, Old English wiccecræft. See witch, craft

SYNONYMS FOR witchcraft

1. See magic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR witchcraft ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for witchcraft

An accusation of witchcraft is vague enough to serve as a kind of catchall for discontent.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?|Michael Schulson|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indonesian guest workers are on trial in Saudi Arabia for “witchcraft.”
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?|Michael Schulson|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Katrina, who was hung for witchcraft, is trapped in a woodland inferno between the two worlds.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ Is TV’s Craziest, Most Over-the-Top New Show ... And You Should Watch It|Amy Zimmerman|October 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Of course those old Bill Maher appearances and the talk of witchcraft helped a bit, too.
The Mama Grizzly Scorecard|Shushannah Walshe|November 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST

You might be hunted down and beaten, or accused of witchcraft.
The Shocking Indignities Widows Face|Shannon Donnelly|June 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And Bimsha thought, "Is it witchcraft, or did the child fall into the sea?"
The Blue Moon|Laurence Housman
Melancholics mutter to themselves, look on the ground, and avoid society, all of which were considered signs of witchcraft.
Studies in the History and Method of Science|Various
There is no witchcraft here except that of love, and it was not difficult for that to work the metamorphosis.
George Sand, Some Aspects of Her Life and Writings|Rene Doumic
Susanna Martin, an aged woman of Amesbury, Mass., was tried and executed for the alleged crime of witchcraft.
The Works of Whittier, Volume I (of VII)|John Greenleaf Whittier
Marang Buru did not detect the imposition and according to his promise taught them all the incantations of witchcraft.
Folklore of the Santal Parganas|Cecil Henry Bompas

British Dictionary definitions for witchcraft

witchcraft

/ (ˈwɪtʃˌkrɑːft) /

noun

the art or power of bringing magical or preternatural power to bear or the act or practice of attempting to do so

the influence of magic or sorcery

fascinating or bewitching influence or charm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for witchcraft

witchcraft

Old English wiccecræft, from wicce (see witch) + cræft "power, skill" (see craft). Witchcraft was declared a crime in English law in 1542; trials there peaked in 1580s and 1640s but fell sharply after 1660. The last, in 1717, ended in acquittal. The Witchcraft Act was repealed 1736.

Culture definitions for witchcraft

witchcraft

Popularly believed to be the practice of black magic. Witches are known today as followers of Wicca, a pagan nature religion with roots in pre-Christian western Europe. Wicca is now undergoing a revival, especially in the United States and Great Britain.

Note

Old misunderstandings and hysterical accusations have led to persecution of “witches,” most famously in the Salem witch trials of 1692.

witchcraft

noun

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Origin of witchcraft

Examples from the Web for witchcraft

witchcraft

noun

witchcraft

witchcraft

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