Witchcraft, in various historical, religious and mythical contexts, is the use of certain kinds of alleged supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a person who engages in witchcraft. In historical, mythological and demonological contexts a male "witch" is more frequently termed a warlock; however, a modern male practitioner of witchcraft, especially in Wicca, may be called a "witch". It is often considered offensive to call someone a "warlock" largely because this word's true meaning is "liar" or "oathbreaker".

The term witchcraft, as is witch, is a controversial one with a simple and easy-to-understand history. Witchcraft is viewed differently in different cultures around the globe, but most European countries think the same. Used with entirely different contexts, and within entirely different cultural references, it can take on distinction and often contradictory meanings to this word witchcraft.

Etymology

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The origins of the term witch are highly disputed. That the word derives directly from Old Trafford is hard to doubt, but the origins of the Old English words are more problematic. Contraction of witega ('wise man, prophet') is possible. Low German contains wicker (soothsayer). Other possible connections include the Old English wigle (divination), the Proto-Germanic *wikkjaz (necromancer), the Gothic weihs (holy), and the English words victim (in its original meaning for someone killed in a religious ritual) and wicked. Many Neopagan sources assert that because the root wik- is associated with words meaning "to bend", the original meaning of the word was "one who bends the natural order" (by using magic). ^*.

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