Meaning of witch's teat | Babel Free

Definitions

A raised bump or wart on a person's body, formerly believed in some English-speaking cultures to indicate that the person was a witch and used the wart to provide blood to familiars.

Examples

“... a “witch's teat.” A witch's teat was thought to serve⟳ the same function as the nipple of a nursing mother, but instead of providing milk to babies, it supplied blood to the witch's evil helpers, or familiars. A committee of[…]”

“... a witch's teat had no counterpart in Continental witchcraft theory. Women, credited because of their “good characters” rather than any professional expertise (though in the 1640s Matthew Hopkins would come⟳ to favor midwives), were[…]”

“... temporary confinement. Before her trial, she would be examined under oath by the JP and perhaps examined for a witch's teat by several respectable women. If the justice of the peace felt there was sufficient evidence against her, she ...”

CEFR level