Wicchecraft

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The practice of magic and spellcasting within a modern pagan religious movement that honors nature and ancient traditions
2. Magic performed as part of a contemporary pagan religion that draws on pre-Christian spiritual beliefs and rituals
3. The craft of casting spells and working magic as practiced within modern witchcraft-based pagan religions

Etymology: Before "witch" meant a woman who practised magic, the Old English "wicca" was a male sorcerer, and "wicce" was the female form. The masculine term faded, and "wicce" survived as the word we use today. The origin of "wicca" itself is uncertain, and etymologists have not settled on a convincing root for it. The second half of the compound, "craft," comes from Old English "cræft," which meant skill, power, or strength before it came to mean a trade or an artisan's work. Old English writers joined it to "wicce" as "wiccecræft," so the earliest sense was a practitioner's skill or power, not an evil art. The spelling "wicchecraft," with its "ch," reflects the older English spellings of that form.