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