archwitch

English

Alternative forms

• arch-witch

Etymology

From arch- +‎ witch.

Noun

archwitch (plural archwitches)

1. A very powerful witch.
   • 1894, William Crooke, An Introduction to the Popular Religion and Folklore of Northern India, Allahabad: […] the Government Press, […], page 350:

     Others, like the archwitch Kálarátri or “black night,” are of repulsive appearance; she has dull eyes, a depressed flat nose; […]

   • 1907, William McChesney Martin, Shoes of Iron: A Tale of Witch Town, Mayhew Publishing Co., page 183:

     And it was strange that these two archwitches should slumber when the whole world of shadows was astir.

   • 1954, Donald N. Ferguson, Masterworks of the Orchestral Repertoire: A Guide for Listeners, published 1968, page 381:

     The poetic basis of this composition is the Russian legend that on the night of Ivan Koupalo the archwitch, Baba-Yaga, with sorcerers and sorceresses, comes to the Bald (or Bare) Mountain to celebrate the witches’ Sabbath.