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hedge witch

noun

Etymology

* (type of witch): Circa 1990s. From hedge (“boundary”) + witch, where the boundary is that separating this world from the spirit world, which is traversed during hedge riding. Possibly coined or popularised by Rae Beth (1990), Hedge Witch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft, London: Robert Hale, →ISBN. * (fantasy): Circa 1980s. From hedge (“third-rate”) + witch. Compare hedge priest, hedge wizard.

  1. derived from *wik-néh₂-✻
  2. derived from *wikkōną✻
  3. inherited from wiċċe — “witch (female), sorceress”
  4. inherited from wicche
  5. compounded as hedge witch — “hedge + witch”

Definitions

  1. Fungus of species Phallus impudicus, a type of stinkhorn.

    • 1875, The Gardeners' Chronicle, New Series, Volume 4, page 725, The common name of the fungus is, as you say, Hedge Witch or Wood Witch; the scientific name is Phallus impudicus.

  2. A modern, solitary witch who focuses on herbalism and shamanic experience (hedge riding).

    • One hedge witch who is also a practising iridologist and herbalist in a large country town, feels that we should regard all of nature as having a purpose, and continually strive to understand that purpose.
    • While Hedge Witches may work with other Witches in a coven, their work as a Hedge Witch is performed typically on their own or with one other person.
    • The path of the hearth-based hedge witch is rooted in the parallel paths of nurturing and nourishing.

  3. An inferior or small-scale witch.

    • It was extremely rare, but not unheard of, for civilians to work up a spell or two on their own, but as far as Quentin knew they never got into anything serious. Real magicians called them hedge witches.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for hedge witch. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA