I. ˈmajik, -jēk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English magik, from Middle French magique, from Latin magice, from Greek magikē, from feminine of magikos, adjective
1.
a. : the use of means (as ceremonies, charms, spells) that are believed to have supernatural power to cause a supernatural being to produce or prevent a particular result (as rain, death, healing) considered not obtainable by natural means and that also include the arts of divination, incantation, sympathetic magic, and thaumaturgy : control of natural forces by the typically direct action of rites, objects, materials, or words considered supernaturally potent
b. magics plural : magic beliefs or practices : charm 1b
in their crafts, their dances, their rituals of harvest, their local magics for comfort and ease — Waldo Frank
masters of poems and small magics who could make … spells and runes — Leah B. Drake
2.
a. : an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source
a thinker who proposed to test men and measures by the magic of sincerity — V.L.Parrington
he was our leader and our magic — Ralph Ellison
our dynamic economy that uses so completely the magic of mass production — P.M.Mazur
b. : something that seems to cast a spell or to give an effect of otherworldliness : enchantment
all the mystery, magic and romance which belong to royalty alone — J.E.P.Grigg
the lake with its gray melancholy, its brooding magic of an untouched world — Anita Leslie
the right word gives us a sense of mystery and magic — C.S.Kilby
3. : the art of producing unusual illusions by legerdemain
entertained with acts of jugglery and magic
Synonyms:
witchcraft , witchery , wizardry , sorcery , thaumaturgy , alchemy : magic applies to any supernatural power of art or to any natural power or art seeming to have miraculous results; it is often used in connection with effecting a result or influencing a tendency
magic, the attempt of man to govern the forces of nature directly, by means of a special lore — C.S.Coon
magic may be loosely defined as an endeavor through utterance of set words, or the performance of set acts, to control or bend the powers of the world to man's will — J.B.Noss
words when used with the gift of magic can seduce a reader into belief that has no roots in reality — Rose Feld
witchcraft and witchery , often applicable to deeds of women rather than men, apply to doings of witches, the former suggesting use, usually malevolent, of spells, enchantments, and guile, the latter suggesting enchanting allure
thus with witchraft I am crowned and wrapped in marvels round and round — Elinor Wylie
the witchery of the soft blue sky — William Wordsworth
the witchery of legend and romance — Ben Riker
wizardry , usually used of men's acts or accomplishments, suggests power to enchant with or as if with supernatural skill, power, or craft
the wizardry of my past wonder, the enchantment of romance — John Galsworthy
the museum staff's wizardry at exhibit making — W.C.Fitzgibbon
sorcery suggests use of incantation, charm, or spell to produce an effect, often harmful
there was a highly institutionalized means of covert aggression at the disposal of the Indians. This was sorcery — A.I.Hallowell
the storyteller's sorcery of catapulting historical datum into dramatic detail — Frederic Morton
thaumaturgy is applicable to any performance of miracles, especially by incantation
who see thaumaturgy in all that Jesus did — Matthew Arnold
alchemy may apply to transmutation of substances according to the secret laws of early chemical inquiry or to similar processes
called alchemy, an attempt to transmute other metals into gold, to discover the elixir of life — Rumer Godden
the alchemy of moonlight turned all the jungle to perfect growth, growth at rest — William Beebe
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English magik, from Middle French magique, from Latin magicus, from Greek magikos, from magos magus, wizard, sorcerer (of Iranian origin; akin to Old Persian magush sorcerer) + -ikos -ic
1. : of or relating to the occult : supposedly having supernatural properties or powers
the witch doctor is there to give them some magic medicine to drink — J.G.Frazer
engravings on harpoons and awls … may have been magic signs, protective against adverse influence — Hugo Obermaler
2.
a. : having unusually distinctive qualities resembling the supernatural : producing startling and amazing effects
with this magic piece of paper, was free to go as I could — W.G.Shepherd
the popular impression that a magic method has been invented for mastering a strange language in six weeks — F.N.Robinson
a man who really had the magic touch — Leonard Bernstein
b. : giving a feeling of enchantment
it was the most magic moment of the day … full of meaning and loveliness — Olive Johnson
III. “, especially in pres part -jək transitive verb
( magicked ; magicked ; magicking ; magics )
: to affect or influence by or as if by magic : bewitch
the light of those autumn days was magicked — Hervey Allen
had magicked them free of their prison — Pamela Frankau