witches

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of witch.

   The village elders once accused several women of being witches.

   Modern witches gather in the woods to mark the solstice.

   Note

   Like churches and benches, the plural adds -es and a whole syllable. It covers people said to work magic, present-day followers of Wicca, and charming or mischievous people, but used of women as a figurative insult it is derogatory, so a writer should let the context make plain which witches are meant.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of witch.

   Whenever a farmer needs a new well, he calls the old man who witches for water.

   She still witches for water the way her grandmother taught her, with a forked peach branch.

   Note

   Two living uses pull in different directions. A dowser witches for water, with no object; a performer who witches a crowd is bewitching it, with an object. Using the verb on its own to mean practicing witchcraft is obsolete, so for that sense modern English says practices witchcraft instead.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2