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witching

SayWICH-ing/ˈwɪt͡ʃɪŋ/

5 meanings of witching

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  1. 1
    adjective
    Having to do with witches or magic.

    At the witching hour, the old house grew very quiet.

    The book is full of witching stories from long ago.

    Similaroccult, magic

    Note
  2. 2
    verb
    The -ing form of witch. Use it after am, is, are, was or were, or to name the action.

    The old farmer was witching for water with a forked stick.

    The tale tells of a fairy witching a prince so that he sleeps for years.

    Note
  3. 3
    noun
    Gerund of witch. It means one act of witchcraft or magic.

    The old woman in the story is put on trial for a witching.

    Folks in the valley blamed every dead calf on a witching.

    Note
  4. 4
    adjective
    Of a person, able to put a magic spell on people or things.

    In the story, a witching queen turns the king's guards to stone.

    Everyone feared the witching girl who lived at the edge of the forest.

Less common meaning

  1. 5
    adjectivearchaic
    Very charming, as if it puts a spell on you.

    She had a witching smile that made everyone look her way.

    The singer's witching voice held the whole room still.

    Note

witching is a form of witch

witch, verb: To look for water under the ground by walking with a special stick. Full entry

Forms
witchwitches he/she/itwitching -ing formwitched past tense, past participle
Spelling
witch → witching: add -ing

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4–5

It comes from an old form of witch + -ing.

Meaning 3

It comes from an Old English word meaning "witchcraft", made of witch + -ing.