*witch*

n. The state of being bewitched. Gauden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who bewitches. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The power of bewitching or fascinating; bewitchment; charm; fascination. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is a certain bewitchery or fascination in words. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having power to bewitch or fascinate; enchanting; captivating; charming. -- Be*witch"ing*ly, adv. -- Be*witch"ing*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of bewitching, or the state of being bewitched. Tylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The power of bewitching or charming. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Cowhage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The red-breasted or gray snipe (Macrorhamphus griseus); -- called also brownback, and grayback. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Elec.) A switch consisting of one or more knifelike pieces hinged at one end and making contact near the other with flat gripping springs. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Railroads) A switch made up of a rail from each track, both rails being tapered far back and connected to throw alongside the through rail of either track. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. (Railroading) same as Point switch. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. OD. swick a scourage, a whip. Cf. Swink, Swing. ] 1. A small, flexible twig or rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mauritania, on the fifth medal, leads a horse with something like a thread; in her other hand she holds a switch. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Railways) A movable part of a rail; or of opposite rails, for transferring cars from one track to another. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A separate mass or trees of hair, or of some substance (at jute) made to resemble hair, worn on the head by women. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Elec.) A device for shifting an electric current to another circuit, or for making and breaking a circuit. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Safety switch (Railways), a form of switch contrived to prevent or lessen the danger of derailment of trains. --
Switch back (Railways), an arrangement of tracks whereby elevations otherwise insurmountable are passed. The track ascends by a series of zigzags, the engine running alternately forward and back, until the summit is reached. --
Switch board (Elec.), a collection of switches in one piece of apparatus, so arranged that a number of circuits may be connected or combined in any desired manner. --
Switch grass. (Bot.) See under Grass. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Switched p. pr. & vb. n. Switching. ] 1. To strike with a switch or small flexible rod; to whip. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To swing or whisk; as, to switch a cane. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To trim, as, a hedge. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To turn from one railway track to another; to transfer by a switch; -- generally with off, from, etc.; as, to switch off a train; to switch a car from one track to another. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Eccl.) To shift to another circuit. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To walk with a jerk. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. an elctrical apparatus consisting predominantly of a panel on which are switches or other means of completing electrical circuits; -- used especially for the devices used in telephone exchanges. See sense 2. [ PJC ]

2. (Telephone) An apparatus containing switches by means of which a connection may be made from an incoming telephone line to any one of numerous outgoing lines. The switches may be either mechanical or electronic, and the switching action may be automatic, controlled by signals in the incoming call, or manual, controlled by a switchboard operator. In older style manual switchboards, the circuits were connected by the use of patchcords, inserted into plugs.
Syn. -- patchboard, plugboard, telephone exchange. [ PJC ]

n. [ See Sweet. ] A beverage of molasses and water, seasoned with vinegar and ginger. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a sudden and unexpected change or reversal of position, attitude, or action. [ PJC ]

a. & n. from Switch, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

Switching engine, a locomotive for switching cars from one track to another, and making up trains; -- called also switch engine. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a device used as part of an electronic device, which transforms electrical current from an AC line circuit to DC for use in electronic devices, and which can use either 110 volt or 220 volt AC line curent. [ PJC ]

n.; pl. Switchmen One who tends a switch on a railway. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Whisking. [ Colloq. ] Coombe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Elec.) an electrical switch operated by pushing a lever through a small angle of deflection. The lever has a spring which returns it to its original position after the pressure applied by the operator is released. [ PJC ]

2. (Computer programming) A mechanism for acquiring input from an operator, such that taking some action (such as pressing a function key on a keyboard) will cause a program variable to take a new value. The values are usually changed in cyclic fashion, so that a certain number of activations of the toggle returns the variable to its initial value. When there are two values to the variable, each activation of the toggle causes the variable to assume the alternate value. [ PJC ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Twitched p. pr. & vb. n. Twitching. ] [ OE. twicchen, fr. (doubtful) AS. twiccian; akin to AS. angeltwicca a worm used for bait, literally, a hook twitcher, LG. twikken to tweak, G. zwicken. Cf. Tweak. ] To pull with a sudden jerk; to pluck with a short, quick motion; to snatch; as, to twitch one by the sleeve; to twitch a thing out of another's hand; to twitch off clusters of grapes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thrice they twitched the diamond in her ear. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of twitching; a pull with a jerk; a short, sudden, quick pull; as, a twitch by the sleeve. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A short, spastic contraction of the fibers or muscles; a simple muscular contraction; as, convulsive twitches; a twitch in the side. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Far.) A stick with a hole in one end through which passes a loop, which can be drawn tightly over the upper lip or an ear of a horse. By twisting the stick the compression is made sufficiently painful to keep the animal quiet during a slight surgical operation. J. H. Walsh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, twitches. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) See Quitch grass. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + bewitch. ] To free from a spell; to disenchant. [ R. ] South. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Elec.) A switch which opens a circuit when the current falls below a certain predetermined value, used to protect certain types of motors from running at excessive speed upon decrease of load. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + witch. ] To free from a witch or witches; to fee from witchcraft. [ R. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) (a) The dabchick. (b) The stormy petrel. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Wick of a lamp. ] A cone of paper which is placed in a vessel of lard or other fat, and used as a taper. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. wicche, AS. wicce, fem., wicca, masc.; perhaps the same word as AS. wītiga, wītga, a soothsayer (cf. Wiseacre); cf. Fries. wikke, a witch, LG. wikken to predict, Icel. vitki a wizard, vitka to bewitch. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. One who practices the black art, or magic; one regarded as possessing supernatural or magical power by compact with an evil spirit, esp. with the Devil; a sorcerer or sorceress; -- now applied chiefly or only to women, but formerly used of men as well. [ 1913 Webster ]

There was a man in that city whose name was Simon, a witch. Wyclif (Acts viii. 9). [ 1913 Webster ]

He can not abide the old woman of Brentford; he swears she's a witch. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An ugly old woman; a hag. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who exercises more than common power of attraction; a charming or bewitching person; also, one given to mischief; -- said especially of a woman or child. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Geom.) A certain curve of the third order, described by Maria Agnesi under the name versiera. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) The stormy petrel. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A Wiccan; an adherent or practitioner of Wicca, a religion which in different forms may be paganistic and nature-oriented, or ditheistic. The term witch applies to both male and female adherents in this sense. [ PJC ]

Witch balls, a name applied to the interwoven rolling masses of the stems of herbs, which are driven by the winds over the steppes of Tartary. Cf. Tumbleweed. Maunder (Treas. of Bot.) --
Witches' besoms (Bot.), tufted and distorted branches of the silver fir, caused by the attack of some fungus. Maunder (Treas. of Bot.) --
Witches' butter (Bot.), a name of several gelatinous cryptogamous plants, as Nostoc commune, and Exidia glandulosa. See Nostoc. --
Witch grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Panicum capillare) with minute spikelets on long, slender pedicels forming a light, open panicle. --
Witch meal (Bot.), vegetable sulphur. See under Vegetable. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. witched p. pr. & vb. n. witching. ] [ AS. wiccian. ] To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ I 'll ] witch sweet ladies with my words and looks. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whether within us or without
The spell of this illusion be
That witches us to hear and see. Lowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. wiccecræft. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The practices or art of witches. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: Sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with evil spirits. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

3. Power more than natural; irresistible influence. [ 1913 Webster ]

He hath a witchcraft
Over the king in 's tongue. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Adherence to or the practice of Wicca. In this sense the term does not necessarily include attempts at practice of magic, other than by prayers to the deities. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) See Wych-elm. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Witcheries 1. Sorcery; enchantment; witchcraft. [ 1913 Webster ]

Great Comus,
Deep skilled in all his mother's witcheries. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

A woman infamous . . . for witcheries. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fascination; irresistible influence; enchantment. [ 1913 Webster ]

He never felt
The witchery of the soft blue sky. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The dear, dear witchery of song. Bryant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Wych-elm, and Hazel. ] (Bot.) The wych-elm. (b) An American shrub or small tree (Hamamelis Virginica), which blossoms late in autumn. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That witches or enchants; suited to enchantment or witchcraft; bewitching. “The very witching time of night.” Shak. -- Witch"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. The middle of the night, especially midnight. [ colloq. ] [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) The witch-hazel. [ 1913 Webster ]