![]() ![]() 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 PIE root *weg- "to be strong, be lively." 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"). 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. ![]() Natural magic in the Middle Ages was that which did not involve the agency of personal spirits it was considered more or less legitimate, not sinful, and involved much that would be explained scientifically as the manipulation of natural forces. It displaced Old English wiccecræft (see witch) also drycræft, from dry "magician," from Irish drui "priest, magician" (see Druid). The transferred sense of "legerdemain, optical illusion, etc." is from 1811. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from Old Persian magush, which is possibly from PIE root *magh- "to be able, have power." Late 14c., magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," also "supernatural art," especially the art of controlling the actions of spiritual or superhuman beings from Old French magique "magic magical," from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic," from Greek magike (presumably with tekhnē "art"), fem.
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