Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “warlock” come from?

Warlock comes from Middle English warlowe, from Old English wǣrloga, derived from Old English wǣr, with the original sense now unknown.

warlock (English): A male magic-user; a male witch

Definitions

  1. A male magic-user; a male witch

Ancestry of “warlock”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwarloghe—
2Old Englishwǣrlogatraitor, deceiver
3Old Englishlogaliar; deceiver
4Proto-Germaniclugôliar; traitor; one who breaks
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlewḱ-lynx
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlewk-bright; to shine; to see

Words derived from “warlock”

  • warlockry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewk- →