witching

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Related to witching: Witching hour, Quadruple Witching

witch·ing

(wĭch′ĭng)

adj.

1. Relating to or characteristic of witchcraft.

2. Having the power to charm or enchant; bewitching.

Witchcraft; sorcery.

witch′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

witching

(ˈwɪtʃɪŋ)

adj

1. (Alternative Belief Systems) relating to or appropriate for witchcraft

2. rare bewitching

(Alternative Belief Systems) witchcraft; magic

ˈwitchingly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

witch•ing

(ˈwɪtʃ ɪŋ)

n.

1. the use or practice of witchcraft.

2. fascination; charm; enchantment.

adj.

3. of, characterized by, or suitable for sorcery or black magic: a witching potion.

4. enchanting; fascinating.

[before 1000]

witch′ing•ly, adv.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	witching - the use or practice of witchcraft practice - the exercise of a profession; "the practice of the law"; "I took over his practice when he retired"
Adj.	1.	witching - possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers; "charming incantations"; "magic signs that protect against adverse influence"; "a magical spell"; "'tis now the very witching time of night"- Shakespeare; "wizard wands"; "wizardly powers" magic, magical, sorcerous, wizard, wizardly, charming supernatural - not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws; not physical or material; "supernatural forces and occurrences and beings"

witching

adjective

1. Having, brought about by, or relating to supernatural powers or magic:

fey, magic, magical, talismanic, thaumaturgic, thaumaturgical, theurgic, theurgical, wizardly.

2. Tending to seduce:

alluring, bewitching, come-hither, enticing, inveigling, inviting, luring, seductive, siren, tempting.

noun

The use of supernatural powers to influence or predict events:

conjuration, magic, sorcery, sortilege, thaumaturgy, theurgy, witchcraft, witchery, wizardry.

Translations

incantevole magico

witching

adj the witching hour → die Geisterstunde

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

References in periodicals archive ?

The "spellbinding" find occurred near Lower Black Moss reservoir, in the village of Barley, which nestles in the shadow of Pendle Hill - the UK's premier witching hot-spot.

Secret 'witches' cottage' revealed

This section also looks at the supernatural traveling abilities of Jerseymen wishing to visit their homes in the British Isles, the "black heart" or "black art" books thought to convey power to their owners, and touches briefly on the intersection of witchcraft and religion, concluding that among the people she interviewed and the evidence she examined, "Narrative and experience, not theology, supply the best evidence for most people" and that she sees "witching as essentially an a religious phenomenon" (71).

Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells

Here is the link between witching and economic exploitation (either through subsistence begging, placatory gifts or securing employment for male family members); the link between the moral and magical economy; the paradoxical role of the witch as scapegoat and benefactor; and the function of prophesy and cursing.

Barbara Rieti. Making Witches: Newfoundland Traditions of Spells and Counterspells

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