WITCH  and WIZARD . These two words are now generally used of an

adept of the black art, a sorcerer, magician, female and male respectively (see MAGIC and WITCHCRAFT) . " Witch," I formerly of common gender, represents O . Eng. wicca (masc.), wicce (fern.), agent-nouns to wiccian, to practise sorcery, probably a causative verb from O . Eng. wiccn, to give way (cf " weak "), and therefore signifying to avert (evil), conjure away So Norweg. vikja means (I) to turn aside, (2) to exorcise . The participial " wicked " means witch-like . " Wizard " is formed from " wise," with the slightly contemptuous Anglo-French suffix -ard, as in drunkard, laggard, sluggard, &c .