Witch, n.
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.
There was a man in that city whose name was Simon, a witch. --Wyclif (Acts viii. 9).
He can not abide the old woman of Brentford; he swears she's a witch. --Shak.
2. An ugly old woman; a hag.
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.]
4. Geom. A certain curve of the third order, described by Maria Agnesi under the name versiera.
5. Zool. The stormy petrel.
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.
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witch grass
n 1: North American grass with slender brushy panicles; often a
weed on cultivated land [syn: witchgrass, old
witchgrass, old witch grass, tumble grass, Panicum
capillare]
2: European grass spreading rapidly by creeping rhizomes;
naturalized in North America as a weed [syn: dog grass,
couch grass, quackgrass, quack grass, quick grass,
witchgrass, Agropyron repens]