Etymology: Old English wǽr-loga weak masculine traitor, enemy, devil, etc. = Old Saxon wâr-logo weak masculine ? deceiver (once, Hêliand 3817, in plural wârlogon applied to the Pharisees). The first element is probably Old English wǽr strong feminine covenant = Old High German wâra truth, Old Norse várar strong feminine plural solemn promise, vow (compare Vǽringi confederate, Varangian); compare Old Church Slavonic vĕra faith. This is a derivative from the adjective represented by Old English wǽr true (once, Genesis 681; ? < Old Saxon) = Old Saxon, Old High German wâr true < Old Germanic *wǣro- < Pre-Germanic *wēro- = Latin vērus . The second element (an agent-noun related to Old English léogan to lie v.², belie, deny) occurs also in the similar compounds áþ-loga, tréow-loga (Old Saxon treulogo), wed-loga (Middle English wedlowe), an oath-breaker, etc.This seems to have been the original sense of the present word, but the special application to the Devil (either as a rebel, or a deceiver) was already in Old English the leading sense. The applications to sorcerers, with especial reference to the power of assuming inhuman shapes, and to monsters (especially serpents), appear to be developments, partly due to Scriptural language, of the sense ‘devil’. The modern forms with final -(c)k are of obscure origin, for they appear first in Scots of 16th cent., and owe their spread to Scots writers, and so cannot represent, as has been assumed, a Southern sound-substitution of /k/ for the -ch /x/ of some of the rarer Northern and Scots forms. From the first they have been used exclusively in the sense ‘wizard’. Some other word, lost or not discovered, has perhaps influenced both form and sense. Old Norse varðlokkur, weak feminine plural (compare also urðar lo(k)kur) ? incantation, suggested already in Johnson, is too rare (? occurring once), with regard to the late appearance of the -k forms, to be considered.

Etymology: Perhaps representing an Old English *wærloc , < Old English waru ware n.² guard, safe-keeping + loc lock n.² It is, however, possibly an alteration of warrok n. caused by some such etymological association as that indicated. Compare the senses in modern dialect of warlock v.¹ and warrok v.

Etymology: Of obscure origin. The early forms warich , warkecok are perhaps nearer to the original than warlo(c)k , which may be due to association with charlock n.

Etymology: apparently a real or supposed Norwegian word: compare Norwegian varde (dialect vale) cairn.

Etymology: < warlock n.²