Word Confusion: Which versus Witch

Plural for the noun: witches
Gerund: witching

Third person present verb: witches
Past tense or past participle: witched
Present participle: witching

CAUTION: Use a comma before which when it’s a nonrestrictive pronoun.

Whatever of a class

• Whichever

Used in relative clauses with inanimate antecedents

Interrogative Adjective OR Pronoun:
Asking for information specifying one or more people or things from a definite set

Relative adjective OR Pronoun:
Refers to something previously mentioned when introducing a clause giving further information

Noun:
A woman thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat and flying on a broomstick

• A follower or practitioner of Wicca or of modern witchcraft

[Informal, derogatory] An ugly or unpleasant woman

A girl or woman who is bewitchingly attractive

An edible North Atlantic flatfish, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, that is of some commercial value

Verb, intransitive:
To prospect with a divining rod

• Dowse

Verb, transitive:
To bring by or as by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.)

[Archaic] To affect as if by witchcraft

• Bewitch
• Charm

Cast an evil spell on

• [Of a girl or woman] Enchant a man

“Indeed, this 2016 intimate-scale opera is set during the McCarthy era witch hunts when gays in government were being hunted down” (Hirschman).

“This breakdown can also lead to witch hunts in which legitimate players are accused of cheating because players don’t trust that the system is fair” (Orland).

Noun:
I’m going as a witch for Halloween.

Elena is a Wiccan and therefore, technically, a witch.

He can marry the old witch for all I care.

That’s the old witch who used to be our neighbor.

She can be a real witch.

A witch flounder can be eaten steamed, fried, microwaved, or baked.

Verb, intransitive:
Scientists believe that someone witching for water, oil, or other minerals would be a misuse of public funds.

She’s witching for us.

We needed a new well, and Bill went out witching for us.

Verb, transitive:
She witched him into going.

Mrs. Yvonskly had somehow witched the house.

She witched Jake.

There is only one lawnmower in the shed, so there is no essential need to differentiate.

Substantial damages can be implied if a claim is successful, therefore which is nonessential.

Relative Adjective:
Your claim ought to succeed, in which case the damages will be substantial.

Relative Pronoun:
We were at a conference in Vienna, which ended on Friday.

Mary and I went to the movies last night, which got out at ten.

Which house did you want to buy?

Which did you find?

I wondered which apples were cheaper.

Bring which car you want to drive.

Adjective, interrogative:
Which way is the wind blowing?

“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” (Nordquist )

Pronoun, interrogative:
Which are the best varieties of potatoes for storing?

Which of the suspects murdered her?

Pronoun, relative:
It was a crisis for which he was totally unprepared.

Percy is the horse on which he had ridden.

You may choose which you like.

Choose which of the cars suit you.