witchcraft
[ wich-kraft, -krahft ]
/ ˈwɪtʃˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft /
noun
the art or practices of a witch; sorcery; magic.
magical influence; witchery.
Words nearby witchcraft
witch's mark, witch's milk, witch-, witch-elm, witch-hunt, witchcraft, witchery, witches' brew, witches' butter, witches' sabbath, witches'-besom
Origin of witchcraft
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for witchcraft
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
Cultural 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.
notes for witchcraft
Old misunderstandings and hysterical accusations have led to persecution of “witches,” most famously in the Salem witch trials of 1692.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.