Wicce
/ˈwitʃe/noun
An Old English word for a female witch or sorceress.
Did you know?In Old English, *wicce* was the feminine form of *wicca*, and the modern word *witch* descends from this pair, though scholars do not agree on any single magical “original meaning” beyond its use for a practitioner of sorcery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wikkō / *wikkjō
“A possible ancestral form proposed by some scholars, but not securely established.”
Old English
OE
wicce
“A female witch, sorceress, or woman believed to practice magic.”
Old English
OE
wicca
“A male witch or sorcerer.”
Middle English
ME
wicche
“A witch; a person thought to use magical or harmful powers.”
Modern English
English
witch
“A person, especially a woman, believed to practice magic or sorcery.”