means A person, traditionally imagined as a woman, believed to wield magical powers — historically through alleged pacts with dark forces, now often a self-claimed practitioner of folk magic and nature-based spirituality.

from From Old English 'wicce' (a female witch) and its masculine counterpart 'wicca' (a male sorcerer), tied to the verb 'wiccian,' to practice magic. The deeper roots are murky — it's possibly related to words for bending, twisting, or waking, suggesting one who shapes or rouses hidden forces, though scholars argue over which thread is true. Note the modern revival 'Wicca' borrows the old masculine form wholesale.