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Entry 8 senses · 3 variants Webster, 1913

Witch

/wĭch/ · IPA /wɪt͡ʃ/
01 n. A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat, and used as a taper.
  1. 1.
    A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat, and used as a taper.[Prov. Eng.]
02 n. One who practices the black art, or magic; one regarded as possessing supernatural or magical power by compact with an evil spirit, esp. wi…
  1. 1.
    One who practices the black art, or magic; one regarded as possessing supernatural or magical power by compact with an evil spirit, esp. with the Devil; a sorcerer or sorceress; -- now applied chiefly or only to women, but formerly used of men as well.
    “There was a man in that city whose name was Simon, a witch.” — Wyclif (Acts viii. 9).
    “He can not abide the old woman of Brentford; he swears she's a witch.” — Shak.
  2. 2.
    An ugly old woman; a hag.
  3. 3.
    One who exercises more than common power of attraction; a charming or bewitching person; also, one given to mischief; -- said especially of a woman or child.[Colloq.]
  4. 4.
    A certain curve of the third order, described by Maria Agnesi under the name versiera.(Geom.) Also: versiera
  5. 5.
    The stormy petrel.(Zool.)
  6. 6.
    A Wiccan; an adherent or practitioner of Wicca, a religion which in different forms may be paganistic and nature-oriented, or ditheistic. The term witch applies to both male and female adherents in this sense. See: Wicca
Phrases & compounds
Witch balls — a name applied to the interwoven rolling masses of the stems of herbs, which are driven by the winds over the steppes of Tartary. Cf. Tumbleweed.
Witches' besoms — tufted and distorted branches of the silver fir, caused by the attack of some fungus.
Witches' butter — a name of several gelatinous cryptogamous plants, as Nostoc commune, and Exidia glandulosa. See Nostoc.
Witch grass — a kind of grass (Panicum capillare) with minute spikelets on long, slender pedicels forming a light, open panicle.
Witch meal — vegetable sulphur. See under Vegetable.
03 v. t. To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant.
imp. & p. p. witched; p. pr. & vb. n. witching
  1. 1.
    To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant.
    “[I 'll] witch sweet ladies with my words and looks.” — Shak.
    “Whether within us or without The spell of this illusion be That witches us to hear and see.” — Lowell.