wicche

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wyche, wycch, weche, wytche, wycche, witche, wecche, wychche, wichche, wech, wicch

Etymology

From the merger (due to regular sound change) of Old English wiċċe and wicca, from Proto-West Germanic *wikkō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwit͡ʃ(ə)/, /ˈweːt͡ʃ(ə)/

Noun

wicche (plural wicches or (early) wicchen)

1. witch, wizard, sorceror
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[1], published c. 1410, Dedis of Apoſtlis 8:9-10, page 96r, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:

     þerfoꝛ greet ioie was maad in þat citee but þer was a man in þat citee whos name was ſymount a wicch þat hadde diſſeyued þe folk of ſamarie. ſeiynge þat him ſelf was ſum greet man / whom alle herknyden. fro þe leest to þe moost .· ⁊ ſeiden / þis is þe vertu of god .· which is clepid greet

     So plenty of rejoicing occurred in that city. But there was a man in that city whose name was Simon; a sorceror who'd deceived the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone important. / Everyone listened, from the low to the high, and said "This is the power of God which is called great!".

   • 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum viij”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book I, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:

     Some of the kynges had merueyl of Merlyns wordes and demed well that it shold be as he said
     And som of hem lough hym to scorne
     as kyng Lot
     and mo other called hym a wytche
     But thenne were they accorded with Merlyn that kynge Arthur shold come oute and speke with the kynges.

     Some of the kings marveled at Merlin’s words and deemed it well that it should be as he said; and some of them laughed him to scorn, as King Lot and many others called him a witch. But then they were informed by Merlin that King Arthur was going to come out and speak with the kings.

2. pagan, heretic, nonbeliever

Derived terms

• wicchecraft
• wicchen

Related terms

• wikke
• wikked

Descendants

• English: witch
• Scots: wich, wech, witch

References

• “wicch(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-11.