etymology · 900s–1100s
wicked
Drift #30 · Jun 11, 2026 · attitude
Meaning comparison
Today it means
evil; morally wrong; deliberately harmful
It used to mean (900s–1100s)
a wizard or sorcerer; one who practises magic
Etymology
'Wicked' likely derives from Old English 'wicca' — a wizard, a sorcerer, the same root as 'witch.' In early medieval thinking, witchcraft was by definition immoral, so the practitioner and the moral quality fused. The word shifted from describing a person of a particular profession to describing a person of a particular character.
The Drift
How the meaning shifted over time
the drift
In Historical Context
The village elder warned against the wicked man who lived beyond the forest — said to know herbs and words that could bind the spirit or loose a fever.
drift fact
Modern Wicca deliberately reclaimed the old word 'wicca' — returning it to its original meaning of a practitioner of natural magic, before the moral baggage accumulated.
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