witcher
See also: Witcher
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
witch + -er, from the popular belief that dowsing was a supernatural act.
Noun edit
witcher (plural witchers)
- A dowser.
Related terms edit
- witch (verb)
Etymology 2 edit
Contraction edit
witcher
- Pronunciation spelling of with your.
- 1934, Henry Roth, Call It Sleep:
- ... an' t'hell witcher ponies I says
- 1974, Paul R. Clancy, Just a Country Lawyer: A Biography of Senator Sam Ervin, page 103:
- And Wiltz said, 'Come on witcher conversation, Mr. Avery. Come on witcher conversation.'
- 1999, Richard Price, Bloodbrothers, page 113:
- Whyncha quit? You can do construction work witcher ol man.
- 2010, Rex Miller, Profane Men, page 45:
- How's it feel to be drinkin' and smokin' witcher big-time, freelance gunman. Huh? Pretty exciting or what?
Etymology 3 edit
witch + -er, a male equivalent of witch using the -er suffix as masculine, as in widower vs. widow, a calque of Polish wiedźmin. Possibly influenced by witchery.
The Polish word was coined in 1986 by author Andrzej Sapkowski as a male equivalent of wiedźma (“witch”) for his The Witcher book series and media franchise. The English calque witcher was popularized by the series' English translation.
Noun edit
witcher (plural witchers)
Related terms edit
- witch (noun)