witch

• n. 巫婆，女巫
• vt. 迷惑；施巫术

来自古英语wicca,巫师，巫术，来自PIE*weik,选择，献祭，牺牲，词源同victim,Wicca。引申词义通灵，做法，召唤鬼神。

1. a female sorcerer or magician

2. a being (usually female) imagined to have special powers derived from the devil

3. an ugly evil-looking old woman

witch

witch: [OE] The close Germanic relatives of witch have died out, but it seems that it may be related to German weihen ‘consecrate’ and even, distantly, to English victim (etymologically ‘someone killed in a religious ritual’), so the word’s underlying signification is of a ‘priestess’. Wicked was derived from Old English wicca ‘wizard’, the masculine form of wicce, ancestor of modern English witch.
=> wicked

witch (n.)

Old English wicce "female magician, sorceress," in later use especially "a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or evil spirits and to be able by their cooperation to perform supernatural acts," fem. of Old English wicca "sorcerer, wizard, man who practices witchcraft or magic," from verb wiccian "to practice witchcraft" (compare Low German wikken, wicken "to use witchcraft," wikker, wicker "soothsayer").

OED says of uncertain origin; Liberman says "None of the proposed etymologies of witch is free from phonetic or semantic difficulties." Klein suggests connection with Old English wigle "divination," and wig, wih "idol." Watkins says the nouns represent a Proto-Germanic *wikkjaz "necromancer" (one who wakes the dead), from PIE *weg-yo-, from *weg- (2) "to be strong, be lively" (see wake (v.)).

That wicce once had a more specific sense than the later general one of "female magician, sorceress" perhaps is suggested by the presence of other words in Old English describing more specific kinds of magical craft. In the Laws of Ælfred (c.890), witchcraft was specifically singled out as a woman's craft, whose practitioners were not to be suffered to live among the West Saxons:

Ða fæmnan þe gewuniað onfon gealdorcræftigan & scinlæcan & wiccan, ne læt þu ða libban."

The other two words combined with it here are gealdricge, a woman who practices "incantations," and scinlæce "female wizard, woman magician," from a root meaning "phantom, evil spirit." Another word that appears in the Anglo-Saxon laws is lyblæca "wizard, sorcerer," but with suggestions of skill in the use of drugs, because the root of the word is lybb "drug, poison, charm." Lybbestre was a fem. word meaning "sorceress," and lybcorn was the name of a certain medicinal seed (perhaps wild saffron). Weekley notes possible connection to Gothic weihs "holy" and German weihan "consecrate," and writes, "the priests of a suppressed religion naturally become magicians to its successors or opponents." In Anglo-Saxon glossaries, wicca renders Latin augur (c. 1100), and wicce stands for "pythoness, divinatricem." In the "Three Kings of Cologne" (c. 1400) wicca translates Magi:

Þe paynyms ... cleped þe iij kyngis Magos, þat is to seye wicchis.

The glossary translates Latin necromantia ("demonum invocatio") with galdre, wiccecræft. The Anglo-Saxon poem called "Men's Crafts" has wiccræft, which appears to be the same word, and by its context means "skill with horses." In a c. 1250 translation of "Exodus," witches is used of the Egyptian midwives who save the newborn sons of the Hebrews: "Ðe wicches hidden hem for-ðan, Biforen pharaun nolden he ben." Witch in reference to a man survived in dialect into 20c., but the fem. form was so dominant by 1601 that men-witches or he-witch began to be used. Extended sense of "old, ugly, and crabbed or malignant woman" is from early 15c; that of "young woman or girl of bewitching aspect or manners" is first recorded 1740. Witch doctor is from 1718; applied to African magicians from 1836.

At this day it is indifferent to say in the English tongue, 'she is a witch,' or 'she is a wise woman.' [Reginald Scot, "The Discoverie of Witchcraft," 1584]

The witch wakes up early in the morning. Hansel and Gretel are still sleeping.

女巫一大早就醒了, 汉瑟和葛丽特还在睡.

期刊摘选

The Negro quarter around 135 th Street, New York, was overrun with fortune tellers and witch doctors.

在纽约135号街区周围的黑人区, 占卜师和巫医泛滥成灾.

辞典例句

The witch charmed the prince.

女巫使王子中了魔法.

《简明英汉词典》

The witch was hideously ugly.

那个女巫丑得吓人.

《简明英汉词典》

But the old witch would not tell him how to use the tinderbox.

但是老巫婆仍然不肯告诉他该如何使用火绒箱.

期刊摘选

They're laughing because I am a witch.

他们笑是因为我就是个女巫.

期刊摘选

I have heard of one old witch changing herself into a pigeon.

我听说有个老巫婆把自己变成了一只鸽子.

辞典例句

A Witch : Anything off the trolley, dears?

一个女巫: 要不要买点儿东西吃呀?

期刊摘选

What a wedding Gawain and witch had!

加文和巫婆举办了什么样的婚礼 啊 !

期刊摘选

Essence of grapefruit, plant essence of witch hazel , essence of peppermint, essence of edelweiss, etc.

葡萄柚精华 、 金缕梅植物精华、薄荷精华 、 雪绒花精华等.

期刊摘选

In effect , the Salem witch trials were over.

最终,Salem巫师审判结束了.

期刊摘选

The little witch put a mock malignity into her beautiful eyes, and Joseph, trembling with sincere horror, hurried out praying and ejaculating " wicked " as he went.

这个小女巫那双美丽的眼睛里添上一种嘲弄的恶毒神气. 约瑟夫真的吓得直抖, 赶紧跑出去,一边跑一边祷告,还嚷着 “ 恶毒! ”

《简明英汉词典》

The witch enchanted the princess.

这巫师蛊惑公主.

期刊摘选

WITCH: Tell me, Mirror, who is the most beautiful women of the world?

巫女: 魔镜魔镜告诉我, 谁是世界上最美的女人.

期刊摘选

The prince is very upset. He knows witch has taken his love away.

王子很伤心, 他知道巫婆把他爱人带走了.

期刊摘选

So the old witch was forced to dance a jigs.

老女巫也只好跳起快步舞来.

辞典例句

The heartless witch cast a spell on the poor little girl.

狠心的女巫对孤苦无助的小女孩施了妖术.

《简明英汉词典》

The witch put a curse on him , ie used a curse against him.

女巫念咒诅咒他.

期刊摘选

The witch doctors were bedizened in all their gaudiest costumes.

女巫医穿上她们最绚丽的衣服,打扮得俗不可耐.

辞典例句

She had been cursed by the witch after stealing some bread.

她偷面包以后,就被这个巫婆诅咒了.

期刊摘选

Main ingredients: Ginseng extract, witch hazel extract, HA etc.

主要成分: 人参提取液 、 金缕梅提取液 、 透明质酸等.

期刊摘选

Witch Hazel Extraction: Natural Ingredient which helps to tighten the pores and control the oil sebum.

金缕梅萃取: 天然的肌肤收敛成分,能帮助调理肌肤油脂,协助毛孔紧致.

期刊摘选

The witch enchanted the princess with magic words.

那个女巫用咒语迷住了公主.

期刊摘选

Higher level has more square and witch and also a bigger image.

级别越高,方块和女巫越多,图片也越大.

期刊摘选

Main ingredient: Grapes, Ginseng, Green Tea, Witch Hazel, Algae, etc.

主要成分: 葡萄精华, 人参精华, 绿茶精华, 金缕梅精华, 海藻精华等.

期刊摘选

stories about a wicked witch

关于邪恶女巫的故事

《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》

They say she died after a witch cast a spell on her.

他们说她是被一个女巫施了魔法后死的。

柯林斯例句