The word is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word which means a traitor or liar & was used to refer to a sorcerer who had made a pact with the devil. Since Wiccans do not believe in the Christian devil it is thought that the word warlock was long ago applied to pagans by Christians who did believe in the devil & wished to suppress any but their own religion. In any case if you hear any one referring to a male witch as a warlock, you are probably hearing someone who is not Wiccan expressing his or her ignorance of Wiccan terminology. A warlock is a male Satanist. Both male & female Wiccans are known as witches.

This word comes from the Anglo-Saxon [old english] Wicce & Wicca, which were pronounced weechch & wee-cha, feminine & masculine respectively. The root wic means bend or shape. Over the centuries the pronunciation has changed & gender distinctions have disappeared, the modern witch refers to men & woman in the craft, Wicca is traditional Anglo-Saxon witchcraft which is pre-Christian, experiencing deity as a complimentary polarity, worshipping according to the cycles of the moon & sun, with roots in Palco-European cave culture. Modern Wicca is a synthesis of many Indo- European & Romano Celtic traditions, now primarily an Anglo- Celtic religion comprised of several traditions or sects.