witchcraft

n. witchery, sorcery, magic; charm

Witchcraft (from Old English "sorcery , necromancy"), in various historical, anthropological, religious and mythological contexts, is the use of certain kinds of supernatural or magical powers.A witch (from Old English masculine , feminine wicce, see Witch (etymology) is a practitioner of witchcraft. The Online Etymology Dictionary states a "possible connection to Gothic "holy" and Ger. "consecrate," and writes, "the priests of a suppressed religion naturally become magicians to its successors or opponents."[1]While mythological witches are often supernatural creatures, historically many people have been accused of witchcraft, or have claimed to be witches. In "Some Reflections on the Relationship Magic-Religion", author H. S. Versnel writes: "Anthropologists in particular have argued that no meaningful contrast between religion and magic can be gained from this approach and that our notion 'magic' is a modern-western biased construct which does not fit representations of other cultures."[2] Witchcraft still exists in a number of belief systems, and indeed there are many today who self-identify with the term "witch" (see below, under Neopaganism).
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Noun
1. the art of sorcery
(synonym) witchery
(hypernym) sorcery, black magic, black art, necromancy

(n.)
The practices or art of witches; sorcery; enchantments; intercourse with evil spirits.
  

(n.)
Power more than natural; irresistible influence.
  

Generally, the use of amulets (or talismans), magical "potions," magical rituals, and/or spells. For example, The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft (1980) describes a "cure" for jaundice: "12 large earthworms, baked on a shovel and ground to powder, drunk in potion." The author, Kathryn Paulsen, added parenthetically: "Somewhat poisonous effects have been noticed from this recipe." For madness, she recommended consuming a drink containing mild honey and salt--before sunrise and from a seashell; and for strength, a black spider between two slices of buttered bread.