What's the difference between a witch and a warlock?

Question

... and a sorcerer and a wizard?

Answer 1

OMFG
you have some BAD answers to this!

a witch is the name for BOTH males and females.

calling someone a "warlock" is an immense insult-
it means oath breaker.


blessed be.

Answer 2

Wow, there are some really crazy answers to this - obviously these people aren't or don't know any folks that go by these titles!! Some of the later answers are what you should be looking at.

A witch is not a Wiccan! A witch is someone, male or female, that practices magick.

Warlock is a term thought to mean "oath-breaker". Noone calls themselves warlock, but I expect another person that's angry with them would (much like you wouldn't admit to being a bastard).

I've heard sorcerer used as someone that practices magick for his/her own purposes - not for the benefit of others but strictly themselves. Personally, I believe a sorcerer and wizard both are able to practice magick without using aids. This is how I determine between these two and Witch. I'm not sure how others do, however, so don't take my word for it. But Witches use aids - candles, colors, string, etc. I believe that sorcerers and wizards don't need materials to cast magick.

Answer 3

Witch And Warlock

Answer 4

Don't listen to these biased Wiccans. In the context you are asking, Warlock has always meant "male witch," and "witch"has always meant something evil- a woman who has sold her soul to the Devil for magical powers. This is the Western Christianized tradition, which is what you are obviously asking for.

If you want the opinion of the religious people who have appropriated ancient pagan culture, they will tell you "warlock" means oath-breaker. They are largely pretentious hipsters who pretend their religion is thousands of years old, attempting cultural appropriation of ancient druids and pagans of Northern Europe, when really modern Wicca is about 70 years old.

So, you can go by the Medieval Christian tradition which is several hundred years old or more in which Warlock means male witch, or by the Hipster Wiccan tradition which is around 70 years old in which warlock means oath breaker.

Whichever tradition you go by, both are full of idiots who believe in ridiculous nonsense.

Answer 5

In TODAY's culture witch is unisex. Warlock translated into "Oath Breaker". It's an insult of the highest order to some traditions if not all to be called such.
Sorcerer and wizard come from Harry Potter and Brothers Grimm. It has no revelance.

Answer 6

A witch practices witchcraft. A warlock is an oathbreaker. I'm not sure if any real person identifies him or herself as a sorceror or wizard, but if they do, I don't know what they are, but they are different from witches.

Answer 7

Witch is a practitioner of the Wicca religion. Warlock is a television term supposedly for male witches, but it's not used anywhere but a few TV shows.
Don't know the other two, sorry.

Answer 8

You're either really young or grossly uninformed.
There are no such things as warlocks, wizards, or sorcerers.

Only a Witch (male and female) is the real deal.

Answer 9

Warlocks-, among historic Christian traditions, said to be the male equivalent of witches and were said to ride pitchforks instead of broomsticks which normally witches would. Wiccans use the word warlock as someone that has been banned for breaking an oath contrary


I think at this point its a matter of how you want to view things. In the past it has been said women are witches, men are warlocks. Now its men and women can be witches and to refer to a male witch as a warlock its an insult. To me, I say believe what you want. You can find reading to support both ideas

Interesting question....kudos

Earth

Answer 10

A witch is a female, a warlock is a male. A sorcerer practices magic and a wizard is someone that is really talented in their field.