Example sentences (3)
In this conception, a witch was a member of "a malevolent society presided over by Satan himself and dedicated to the infliction of malevolent acts of sorcery (malefica) on others."sfn Witches were usually female.
Otherwise, it would be the Malleus Malefic o rum (the masculine form of the Latin noun maleficus or malefica, 'witch').
The word used, Malefica, carries the implicit condemnation that other words also referring to women with supernatural powers, lacked.