witching

[ wich-ing ]

/ ˈwɪtʃ ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR witching ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the use or practice of witchcraft.

fascination; charm; enchantment.

adjective

of, characterized by, or suitable for sorcery or black magic: a witching potion.

enchanting; fascinating.

Words nearby witching

witches' butter, witches' sabbath, witches'-besom, witches'-broom, witchetty grub, witching, witching hour, witchweed, witchy, wite, witenagemot

Origin of witching

before 1000; Middle English wicching (noun and adj.), Old English wiccung (noun), derivative of wiccian to practice witchcraft. See witch, -ing¹, -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM witching

witch·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for witching (2 of 2)

witch

[ wich ]

/ wɪtʃ /

noun

a person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress.Compare warlock.

a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers: witches in black robes and pointed hats.

an ugly or mean old woman; hag: the old witch who used to own this building.

a person who uses a divining rod; dowser.

verb (used with object)

to bring by or as by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.): She witched him into going.

Archaic. to affect as if by witchcraft; bewitch; charm.

verb (used without object)

to prospect with a divining rod; dowse.

adjective

of, relating to, or designed as protection against witches.

Origin of witch

before 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce (feminine; compare wicca(masculine) wizard; see wicked)

OTHER WORDS FROM witch

witch·hood, nounwitch·like, adjectiveun·der·witch, noun

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

Examples from the Web for witching

The Witching Hour By Anne Rice No trip into an alternative world would be complete without Anne Rice.
Deborah Harkness’s Book Bag: Five Otherworldly Reads|Deborah Harkness|July 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The picture of that winter night, the witching face of Lisbeth and her mocking laugh as she rode away, kept recurring to his mind.
Rodney, the Ranger|John V. Lane
He must be indeed calloused who can withstand, unmoved, the battery of their witching eyes.
Aztec Land|Maturin M. Ballou
The witching hour of sunrise is fitted for confidential communications.
The Battery and the Boiler|R.M. Ballantyne

He did what he liked with a congregation largely composed of the motley worldlings of Witching Hill.
Witching Hill|E. W. Hornung
Night waned upon this talk, and even the witching hour had gone by, before we retired to rest.
Frankenstein|Mary W. Shelley

British Dictionary definitions for witching (1 of 3)

witching

/ (ˈwɪtʃɪŋ) /

adjective

relating to or appropriate for witchcraft

rare bewitching

noun

witchcraft; magic

Derived forms of witching

witchingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for witching (2 of 3)

witch¹

/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic

a practitioner of a Nature-based religion founded on ancient beliefs, which honours both a male and female divine principle and includes the practice of magic, esp healing magic, and divination

informal, derogatory an ugly or wicked woman

a fascinating or enchanting woman

short for water witch

verb

(tr) to cause or change by or as if by witchcraft

a less common word for bewitch

Derived forms of witch

witchlike, adjective

Word Origin for witch

Old English wicca; related to Middle Low German wicken to conjure, Swedish vicka to move to and fro

British Dictionary definitions for witching (3 of 3)

witch²

/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

a flatfish, Pleuronectes (or Glyptocephalus) cynoglossus, of N Atlantic coastal waters, having a narrow greyish-brown body marked with tiny black spots: family Pleuronectidae (plaice, flounders, etc)

Word Origin for witch

C19: perhaps from witch 1, alluding to the appearance of the fish

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

witching

noun

adjective

Words related to witching

Words nearby witching

Origin of witching

OTHER WORDS FROM witching

Definition for witching (2 of 2)

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adjective

Origin of witch

OTHER WORDS FROM witch

Examples from the Web for witching

British Dictionary definitions for witching (1 of 3)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of witching

British Dictionary definitions for witching (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Derived forms of witch

Word Origin for witch

British Dictionary definitions for witching (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for witch