Main Entry: witch ha·zel

Pronunciation: \ˈwich-ˌhā-zəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: witch, a tree with pliant branches, from Middle English wyche, from Old English wice; probably akin to Old English wīcan to yield — more at weak

Date: circa 1760

1 : any of a genus (Hamamelis of the family Hamamelidaceae, the witch-hazel family) of shrubs or small trees with slender-petaled usually yellow flowers borne in late fall or early spring; especially : one (H. virginiana) of eastern North America that blooms in the fall
2 : an alcoholic solution of a distillate of the bark of a witch hazel (H. virginiana) used as a soothing and mildly astringent lotion