bruja

Spanish

bruja

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from Iberian/Celtiberian *bruxtia (compare Catalan bruixa, Portuguese bruxa, Occitan bruèissa), from Proto-Celtic *brixtā (“spell, magic”) (compare Old Irish bricht (“charm”), Old Breton brith (“magic”)). It could instead be akin to a different Celtic word such as Old Irish Brigit (literally “high, exalted”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɾuxa/ [ˈbɾu.xa]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uxa
• Syllabification: bru‧ja

Noun

bruja f (plural brujas, masculine brujo, masculine plural brujos)

1. witch, sorceress (woman who practices witchcraft)

   Synonyms: hechicera, maga

2. specifically, a Wiccan
3. crone, hag (ugly, evil-looking, or frightening old woman)
4. owl (bird of prey of the order Strigiformes)

   Synonym: lechuza

5. (Dominican Republic) northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis)
6. knifetooth dogfish (shark species Scymnodon ringens)

Hyponyms

• bruja malvada (“wicked witch”)

Derived terms

• brujería
• brujita
• caza de brujas
• garza bruja
• Noche de Brujas

Descendants

• → Cebuano: bruha
• → Tagalog: bruha

Further reading

• “brujo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• “bruja”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010