I once heard someone
use the word "witch" as an adjective for a woman who behaved in an
unpleasant manner. It was obvious the
speaker meant "bitch", but didn't want to use that word in polite company. Being a witch myself, I rather objected to
the substitution.
Then I started
thinking about it. A witch is a woman
who consciously claims power and works her will upon her world. Likewise, the word bitch can evoke a feeling
of empowerment, even a sense of pride.
In that light, is it really so far off to equate a witch with a bitch?
Online Etymology Dictionary places the origin
of the word "bitch" in Olde English, and possibly even further back
to Olde Norse or Lapp, and used to mean a female of the canine species. The Dictionary says "As a term of
contempt applied to women, it dates from c.1400; of a man, c. 1500, playfully
in the sense of "dog"."
In the late 1900's, bitch became a term of subjugation, perhaps taking
the place of the politically incorrect word "slave". "I'll make you my bitch" was (and
perhaps still is) a phrase of challenge and contempt, conveying the speaker's
dominance.
In 2013, the word
"bitch" covers a whole gamut of meanings including the dog and the
slave. You can call your friends
bitches, and you can call your enemies bitches.
You can whip a bitch (meaning make a u-turn.) According to the Online Slang Dictionary, to "sit bitch" is to be in
the middle in the back seat. To bitch is
to complain; and of course, something that you don't want to do can be a real
bitch. And just yesterday I saw one of
those Posters on Facebook with the words "if the shoe fits, lace that
bitch up."
The word
"witch" does not have as interesting a variation of meaning. It has almost always referred to a person who
works magic. Interestingly, Word Nerd
states that the base word, wicca, actually referred to any male who worked
with magic (c.890). Wicce
is the feminine form of the word.
Eventually, "witch" was relegated strictly to women; "in
later use especially "a woman supposed to have dealings with the devil or
evil spirits and to be able by their cooperation to perform supernatural
acts."" (Online Etymology Dictionary). The modern definition of witch, as read
on Dictionary.com:
"A person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to
practice magic, especially black magic or the black art."
Of course, there is
that second definition in Dictionary.com:
"an ugly or mean old woman; hag".
Is this because the old woman refuses to bow to the social niceties
anymore? Refuses to pander? Is she ugly because she is older, or because
she says things no one wants to hear?
Likewise, how many women have been called bitch for actually
accomplishing something? For standing up
and not being subjugated to another's desires?
For pushing ahead instead of giving up or giving in?
You'll notice I am
not making a distinction between intention; whether witches and bitches act for
reasons of goodness and light, or with desire to harm is not the actual
point. In fact, foul or fair is often a
case of perception. If one bitch gets a
job instead of another bitch, someone's child still gets fed. If a witch wins the lottery, others do
not. History is written by the winners;
and, as we all know these days, mud-slinging is a favorite past-time.
Did witch become the
"polite" way to say bitch because of the rhyme? Or because of the perceived insult? And does
it matter? Today, for me, it feels true
that witch and bitch are synonymous - women, or to be etymologically correct,
persons who choose to stand up, stand tall, and move their own mountains,
regardless (or perhaps in spite) of outside opinion.
My name is Lila and
I am a witch. And a bitch. A witchy bitch? A bitchy witch. Whatever. It's all good.
Thank you. And I hope you have a great day.
-Lila
Sources:
- Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary ©2001-2013. Web. January 2014.
- Kipfer, Barbara Ann, PhD. The Word Nerd. Naperville: Sourcebooks, Inc. ©2007.
- Online Slang Dictionary ©1996 - 2014. Web. January 2014.
- Dictionary.com ©2014 Dictionary.com LLC
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