---
title: witchcraft — school dictionary · trees and pragmatics
description: «witchcraft» in the school dictionary: The use of magic powers, especially to do harm, as believed in stories and in many old beliefs. Every meaning for a pupil with its dependency tree and pragmatics.
---

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# witchcraft

<!-- .vintro -->
**Who acts:** use, it, people, Bible, Harry, Grandad · **What happens:** do, believe, use, accuse, surprise, seem · **To what, where:** harm, stories, magic powers, crime, past, prince · **Speech:** someone speaks here

<!-- .vabout -->
«witchcraft» in the school dictionary: its 3 meanings for a pupil and its 8 examples, every sentence parsed by Mova itself — its syntax tree, a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies, and its pragmatics clause by clause. The word in the dictionary, with its sense in the lessons: [witchcraft in the school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/witchcraft.md).

## Meaning 1 {#m1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The use of magic powers, especially to do harm, as believed in stories and in many old beliefs.

<!-- fold The tree, 18 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:m1:1
# text = The use of magic powers, especially to do harm, as believed in stories and in many old beliefs.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	use	use	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	nsubj	_	_
3	of	of	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
4	magic	magic	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	powers	power	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	2	nmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	especially	especially	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
8	to	to	PART	TO	_	9	mark	_	_
9	do	do	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
10	harm	harm	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	13	punct	_	_
12	as	as	SCONJ	IN	_	13	mark	_	_
13	believed	believe	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	advcl	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	15	case	_	_
15	stories	story	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	13	obl	_	_
16	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	20	cc	_	_
17	in	in	ADP	IN	_	20	case	_	_
18	many	many	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
19	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	20	amod	_	_
20	beliefs	belief	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	15	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
21	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **do** | to-infinitive | the use of magic powers | harm |  |  |  | especially *property* | vn act-114-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent harm=Eventuality |
| 2 | **believe** | participle | the use of magic powers *not said here* |  |  | stories and many old beliefs |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 3 | **use** |  |  | magic powers |  |  |  |  | nom use «act transitive»: of=patient |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

## Meaning 2 {#m2}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: history — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In the past, a crime people were wrongly accused of, as in the witch trials in Europe and in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.

<!-- fold The tree, 23 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:m2:1
# text = In the past, a crime people were wrongly accused of, as in the witch trials in Europe and in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	past	past	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	crime	crime	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj:pass	_	_
7	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	nsubj	_	_
8	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	10	aux:pass	_	_
9	wrongly	wrongly	ADV	RB	_	10	advmod	_	_
10	accused	accuse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
11	of	of	ADP	IN	_	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	17	punct	_	_
13	as	as	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
14	in	in	ADP	IN	_	17	case	_	_
15	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	17	det	_	_
16	witch	witch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	17	compound	_	_
17	trials	trial	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obl	_	_
18	in	in	ADP	IN	_	19	case	_	_
19	Europe	Europe	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	17	nmod	_	_
20	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	22	cc	_	_
21	in	in	ADP	IN	_	22	case	_	_
22	Salem	Salem	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
23	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	24	punct	_	_
24	Massachusetts	Massachusetts	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	19	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
25	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	27	punct	_	_
26	in	in	ADP	IN	_	27	case	_	_
27	1692	1692	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	10	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
28	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	10	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accuse** | past · passive |  | a crime |  | the past |  | as the witch trials in Europe and Salem and Massachusetts; in 1692; wrongly *property* | vn suspect-81 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Theme |

## Meaning 3 {#m3}

<!-- .note -->
Usage: informal — kept apart, not parsed.

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Something so clever or surprising it seems like magic.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:m3:1
# text = Something so clever or surprising it seems like magic.
1	Something	something	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	3	nsubj	_	_
2	so	so	ADV	RB	_	3	advmod	_	_
3	clever	clever	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	_
4	or	or	CCONJ	CC	_	5	cc	_	_
5	surprising	surprise	VERB	VBG	Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Part	3	conj	_	_
6	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	7	nsubj	_	_
7	seems	seem	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	3	acl:relcl	_	_
8	like	like	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
9	magic	magic	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	7	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **surprise** | gerund |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn amuse-31.1 «NP V ADV-Middle»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **seem** | present | it |  |  |  |  | like magic | vn seem-109-1-1-1 «NP V S\_INF»: agent=Theme |

## Example 1 {#x1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In the story, the old woman used witchcraft to turn the prince into a frog.

<!-- fold The tree, 15 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x1:1
# text = In the story, the old woman used witchcraft to turn the prince into a frog.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	story	story	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	3	punct	_	_
5	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	7	det	_	_
6	old	old	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	7	amod	_	_
7	woman	woman	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	compound	_	_
8	used	use	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	9	amod	_	_
9	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
10	to	to	PART	TO	_	11	mark	_	_
11	turn	turn	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	9	acl	_	_
12	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	13	det	_	_
13	prince	prince	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obj	_	_
14	into	into	ADP	IN	_	16	case	_	_
15	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	16	det	_	_
16	frog	frog	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	11	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **use** | participle |  |  |  |  |  |  | vn eat-39.1 «NP V»: agent=Agent |
| 2 | **turn** | to-infinitive |  | the prince |  |  |  | into a frog *result* | vn roll-51.3.1 «NP V NP PP.result»: agent=Agent prince=Theme into frog=Result |

## Example 2 {#x2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In 1692, people in Salem were wrongly accused of witchcraft.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x2:1
# text = In 1692, people in Salem were wrongly accused of witchcraft.
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	2	case	_	_
2	1692	1692	NUM	CD	NumForm=Digit|NumType=Card	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	9	nsubj	_	_
5	in	in	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	Salem	Salem	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nmod	_	_
7	were	be	AUX	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	9	aux:pass	_	_
8	wrongly	wrongly	ADV	RB	_	9	advmod	_	_
9	accused	accuse	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
10	of	of	ADP	IN	_	11	case	_	_
11	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	9	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
12	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	9	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **accuse** | past · passive |  | people in Salem |  | 1692 |  | of witchcraft; wrongly *property* | vn suspect-81 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: subject=Theme of witchcraft=Attribute |

## Example 3 {#x3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Long ago, people blamed witchcraft for bad harvests.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x3:1
# text = Long ago, people blamed witchcraft for bad harvests.
1	Long	long	ADV	RB	Degree=Pos	2	advmod	_	_
2	ago	ago	ADV	RB	_	5	advmod	_	SpaceAfter=No
3	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	2	punct	_	_
4	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	nsubj	_	_
5	blamed	blame	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obj	_	_
7	for	for	ADP	IN	_	9	case	_	_
8	bad	bad	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	9	amod	_	_
9	harvests	harvest	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	5	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **blame** | past | people | witchcraft |  |  |  | for bad harvests; ago *property* | vn judgment-33.1 «NP V NP PP.attribute»: agent=Agent witchcraft=Theme for harvest=Attribute |

## Example 4 {#x4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The Bible warns against witchcraft.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x4:1
# text = The Bible warns against witchcraft.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	2	det	_	_
2	Bible	Bible	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
3	warns	warn	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	against	against	ADP	IN	_	5	case	_	_
5	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **warn** *speech: warn* | present | the Bible |  |  |  |  | against witchcraft | vn advise-37.9-1 «NP V PP.topic»: agent=Agent against witchcraft=Topic |

## Example 5 {#x5}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Harry Potter goes to a school of witchcraft and wizardry.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x5:1
# text = Harry Potter goes to a school of witchcraft and wizardry.
1	Harry	Harry	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	3	nsubj	_	_
2	Potter	Potter	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	1	flat	_	_
3	goes	go	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
4	to	to	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
5	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	6	det	_	_
6	school	school	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	obl	_	_
7	of	of	ADP	IN	_	8	case	_	_
8	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	6	nmod	_	_
9	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	10	cc	_	_
10	wizardry	wizardry	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	8	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	3	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **go** | present | Harry |  |  | a school of witchcraft and wizardry |  |  | vn escape-51.1-1 «NP V PP.initial\_location»: agent=Theme to school=Initial\_Location |

## Example 6 {#x6}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
Grandad called the new phone "pure witchcraft".

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x6:1
# text = Grandad called the new phone "pure witchcraft".
1	Grandad	Grandad	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	called	call	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	new	new	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	phone	phone	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
6	"	"	PUNCT	``	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	pure	pure	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	8	amod	_	_
8	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	appos	_	SpaceAfter=No
9	"	"	PUNCT	''	_	8	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	2	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **call** | past | Grandad | the new phone |  |  |  |  | vn initiate\_communication-37.4.2-1 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent phone=Recipient |

## Example 7 {#x7}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
The witch trials show how fear and rumours can hurt innocent people.

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x7:1
# text = The witch trials show how fear and rumours can hurt innocent people.
1	The	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
2	witch	witch	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	3	compound	_	_
3	trials	trial	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	4	nsubj	_	_
4	show	show	VERB	VBP	Mood=Ind|Number=Plur|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
5	how	how	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	10	advmod	_	_
6	fear	fear	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	nsubj	_	_
7	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	8	cc	_	_
8	rumours	rumour	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	6	conj	_	_
9	can	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	10	aux	_	_
10	hurt	hurt	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	4	ccomp	_	_
11	innocent	innocent	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	12	amod	_	_
12	people	people	NOUN	NNS	Number=Plur	10	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **show** | present | the witch trials |  |  |  |  |  | vn transfer\_mesg-37.1.1-1-1 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 2 | **hurt** | can | fear and rumours | innocent people |  |  |  |  | vn hurt-40.8.3-2 «NP V NP»: agent=Experiencer people=Patient |

## Example 8 {#x8}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
No, I can’t believe that it is anything but witchcraft!

```conllu
# sent_id = dict:school:witchcraft:x8:1
# text = No, I can’t believe that it is anything but witchcraft!
1	No	no	INTJ	UH	Polarity=Neg	6	discourse	_	SpaceAfter=No
2	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	1	punct	_	_
3	I	I	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Number=Sing|Person=1|PronType=Prs	6	nsubj	_	_
4	ca	can	AUX	MD	VerbForm=Fin	6	aux	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	n’t	not	PART	RB	Polarity=Neg	6	advmod	_	_
6	believe	believe	VERB	VB	VerbForm=Inf	0	root	_	_
7	that	that	SCONJ	IN	_	10	mark	_	_
8	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	10	nsubj	_	_
9	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	10	cop	_	_
10	anything	anything	PRON	NN	Number=Sing|PronType=Ind	6	ccomp	_	_
11	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	12	cc	_	_
12	witchcraft	witchcraft	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	10	conj	_	SpaceAfter=No
13	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	6	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **not** **believe** | can | I |  |  |  |  |  | vn admire-31.2 «NP V that S»: agent=Experiencer |
| 2 | **is a** | present | it | anything |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

<!-- div src -->

**Text:** the school dictionary of Mova's schools (`world/data/dictionary-schools/`), written for Mova. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each meaning and example read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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