bruja

[ broo-huh; Spanish broo-khah ]

noun

, plural bru·jas.

1. in Latin America and parts of the West Indies, a woman who practices Brujería, a form of witchcraft or traditional religion: Compare brujo ( def ).

   Many in the town believe she is a bruja who uses her herbal cures for good.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bruja¹

First recorded in 1825–35; from Spanish: “owl, witch,” of disputed origin; perhaps from a pre-Roman Celtic term relating to severe weather (akin to Catalan calabruix “hail”); alternatively, possibly distantly akin to Irish briosag “witch” or briocht “amulet, charm”; compare Aragonese broxa, Catalan bruixa, Gascon broucho, Occitan bruèissa, Portuguese bruxa

Example Sentences

Being the official Head Bruja of De Los and all, it’s only right that I prepare you with a playlist of 15 spanking new songs and classic, haunting hits by Latinx artists who are not afraid to lean into their dark sides.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether La Llorona is held up as a form of resistance against oppression, owning her power or reclaiming the monstrous bruja within, the narratives of the wailing woman have endured for centuries, reimagined into a radical icon.

From Los Angeles Times

While dozens of artist friends helped create the new piece, its core group consists of Bustamante; the playwright and artist Pepx Romero, 30; and La Bruja de Texcoco, 35, an underground trans singer who references traditional Mexican music to debunk clichés like machismo and mariachi.

From New York Times

Then we all got our things together and made our way downstairs to face the bruja.

From Literature

For a moment, I felt sorry for the old, broken-down woman whose loneliness had turned her into a bruja—a fate worse than death, a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, least of all Mamá.

From Literature