Hag

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /hæɡ/

Definitions

1. An elderly woman who may be viewed as unattractive or unpleasant ; a supernatural woman, typically a witch or malevolent spirit in folklore
2. A term for a crone-like woman often characterized negatively ; a magical female figure associated with curses and dark legends
3. A name for an older woman seen as harsh or ugly ; a mythical creature believed to have evil powers and to cause harm

Etymology: Old English gave us "hægtesse," a word for a female demon or witch, and "hag" is widely taken to be its shortened descendant. The older word may have been linked to the Germanic root behind the modern "hex," a connection that reaches German "Hexe" and Dutch "heks," both meaning witch. So a word now used of a sour old woman once named a supernatural being, and the cognates in neighbouring languages keep that sense of sorcery alive. A second, unrelated "hag" existed in English. It meant a gap or notch in a cliff, and it came from a Norse-related word for hacking or hewing, the same root that gives "hew" and Swedish "hugg," meaning a blow. The two words sit side by side in the dictionary but share no history. A third source has also been proposed, a word meaning to torment or weaken, found in obsolete Dutch and Norwegian. This possibility is doubtful, and it is not the usual explanation for the sense of a witch or wizened woman.

Synonyms: witch, sorceress, crone

Antonyms: angel, hero