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A Witch is a practitioner of witchcraft. Although the term can be gender-neutral, it is usually used to describe a female who uses magic, while a male engaging in similar practices is called a warlock.

Throughout history there has not been a consistent definition of the term witch. Johannes Nider and other 15th century writers used the Latin term maleficus to mean witch—a person who performed maleficium, harmful acts of sorcery, against others. The witch-hunts of medieval Europe differed from pre-Christian practices in condemning the witch as a moral corruption, rather than focusing on whether the act of sorcery was harmful, expanding the customary understanding of the maleficium concept.

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