In keeping with the language lesson from the last post, here is another word origin. This one has to do with Hallowe’en. (By the way, that’s the proper spelling of the word…with the apostrophe. The word is a contraction of the word “Hallow”, or Spirit, and the word “Evening.” Hallows’ evening is shortened to Hallowe’en.)

The word I’m talking about is witch.

What images are conjured up in your mind when you hear or see that word? Do you see an old hag dressed in black? Cackling when she speaks? Wearing a huge black hat? Ugly as all get-out? Riding a broomstick across the face of a full, yellow moon? Black cat perched on her shoulder? Evil eyes? Huge, crooked nose with a gigantic wart protruding from it? Stirring a huge black, bubbling caldron filled with eyes of newts? Creating misery and havoc with horrible, black magical spells?

Not a very savory creature, is she?

Actually, the word witch has it’s origins in the Old English word wicce, which is pronounced “wee-chay”.  (By the way, Old Enlish was spoken and written from the middle of the 5^th century until the mid-12 century in what is now England and southeastern Scotland.) The meaning of the word is “wise woman.”

The male counterpart is wicca (pronounced “wee-cah”), meaning “wise man.”

So, when you call somebody a witch, you are actually paying them a compliment.

Well, at least it’s interesting to me!