[Ads-l] Antedatings of "Wiccan"

[Shapiro, Fred]

The OED first uses for the word "Wiccan" are dated 1971 (adjective) and 1980 (noun).

According to Wikipedia, "Another early use could be found from December 1965, in the penultimate issue of Pentagram, the newsletter of the Witchcraft Research Association<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_Research_Association>. Here, a small column on Halloween<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween> made reference to 'the Craft of the Wiccan', apparently referring to the entire Pagan Witchcraft community. The author's name was not printed, although it had probably been produced by one of the figures involved in editing Pentagram, such as Gerard Noel or Doreen Valiente.[27]<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_Wicca#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDoyle_White2010193-33> In July 1968, a group of British Gardnerians began publishing a magazine titled The Wiccan."

Fred Shapiro

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