magic

 

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magic

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• magick (fantasy or occult, otherwise obsolete)
• magicke (obsolete)
• magique (obsolete)

From Middle English magik, magyk, from Old French magique (noun and adjective), from Latin magicus (adjective), magica (noun use of feminine form of magicus), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós, “magical”), from μάγος (mágos, “magus”). Ultimately from Old Iranian, probably derived from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂gʰ- (“to be able to, to help; power, sorcerer”). Displaced native Old English ġealdor (survived in Middle English galder), and dwimmer.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmæd͡ʒɪk/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ædʒɪk

magic (usually uncountable, plural magics)

1. The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them. [from 14th c.]

   “My magic will help you find true love,” said the witch as she looked for the right herbs in her collection.

   • c. 1489, Foure Sonnes of Aymon, William Caxton:

     And whan he shall be arrayed as I telle you / lete hym thenne doo his incantacyons & his magyke as he wyll […].

   • 1653, William Basse, “The Metamorphosis of the Wallnut-tree of Borestall. In an Eglogue and 3 Cantos, betweene Jasper and Jefferye.”, in J[ohn] P[ayne] C[ollier], editor, The Pastorals and Other Workes of William Basse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts, Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I), [London: s.n.], published 1870, →OCLC, canto 2, stanza 19, page 122:

     But by what magique I, that here have ſtood / Four hunderd yeares (thou know’ſt how truly ſpoke), / Can now remove, think’ſt thou?

   • 1781, Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, II.23:

     The arts of magic and divination were strictly prohibited.

   • 1928, Lewis Spence, Mysteries of Britain, page viii. 192:

     Does not the very name stir the heart [...] with a thrill more mysterious and romantic than any allusion to the magics of Egypt or Hind?

   • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 23:

     Conversions to the new religion […] have frequently been assisted by the view of converts that they are acquiring not just a means of otherworldly salvation, but a new and more powerful magic.

   • 1973, Arthur C. Clark, Profiles of the future, revised edition:

     Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

   1. The supernatural forces which are drawn on in such a ritual.
   2. (rare, countable) A specific ritual or procedure associated with such magic; a spell; a magical ability. [from 14th c.]
      • 1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:

        And she can turn people into stone and do all kinds of horrible things. And she has made a magic so that it is always winter in Narnia—always winter, but it never gets to Christmas.

      • 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 116:

        "I am the master of mighty magics."

   3. (gaming, countable) The ability to cast a magic spell.

      I learned a new magic after rescuing the tree fairy.

2. Something producing successful and remarkable results, especially when not fully understood; an enchanting quality; exceptional skill. [from 17th c.]
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “The Elopers”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 25:

     The original family who had begun to build a palace to outrival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great architectural achievement.

   • 1969, Patsy Adam-Smith, Folklore of the Australian Railwaymen, Melbourne: Macmillan, page 151:

     We began to take Santa Claus to the kids at the isolated sidings for the same reason men all over Australia on the lines back o' beyond did [...] we didn't want them to miss that magic.

   1. (computing, slang) Complicated or esoteric code that is not expected to be generally understood.
      • 2017, Jacek Galowicz, C++17 STL Cookbook, page 257:

        The stringstream class hides a lot of string parsing magic from us at this point.

3. (entertainment) The art or practice of performing conjuring tricks and illusions to give the appearance of supernatural phenomena or powers.
   1. (countable) One such conjuring trick or illusion. [from 19th c.]

• (allegedly supernatural method to dominate natural forces): dwimmer, dweomercraft/dwimmercraft, thaumaturgy, conjuring, sorcery, witchery, witchcraft, wizardry, wizardcraft, warlockry, hexcraft, spellcraft, spellcasting, spellwork, charmwork, wandwork, enchantment
• (illusion performed to give the appearance of magic or the supernatural): sleight of hand, illusionism, legerdemain, dwimmer

• See also magical § Derived terms

• magician

• → Japanese: マジック (majikku)

magic (not comparable)

1. Having supernatural talents, properties or qualities attributed to magic. [from 14th c.]

   Synonym: magical

   a magic wand

   a magic dragon

2. Producing extraordinary results, as though through the use of magic. [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: wonderful, amazing

   a magic moment

3. Pertaining to conjuring tricks or illusions performed for entertainment etc. [from 19th c.]

   Synonym: magical

   a magic show

   a magic trick

4. (colloquial) Great; excellent. [from 20th c.]

   I cleaned up the flat while you were out. —Really? Magic!

5. (physics) Describing the number of nucleons in a particularly stable isotopic nucleus; 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126, and 184. [from 20th c.]
6. (programming) Being a literal number or string value with no meaning or context, not defined as a constant or variable [from 20th c.]

   The code is full of magic numbers and we can't figure out what they mean.

magic (third-person singular simple present magics, present participle magicking, simple past and past participle magicked)

1. (transitive) To produce, transform (something), (as if) by magic. [from 20th c.]

   Synonyms: conjure up, magic up

   • 1993, John Banville, Ghosts:

     He pictured them standing about the dim hallway, magicked into immobility, glazed and mute, one with a hand raised, another bending to set down a bag, and Licht before them, nodding and twitching like a marionette, as usual.

   • 2018, Oliver Bullough, chapter 8, in Moneyland, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 132:

     The Western professionals magic so much money offshore that it is impossible to put a reliable figure on it.

   • 2021 October 6, Philip Haigh, “Rail freight has a key role in boosting Britain's resilience”, in RAIL, number 941, page 47:

     None can be magicked overnight.

• magic up

• gamic

• Audio:

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magic m (feminine singular magica, masculine plural magics, feminine plural magicas)

1. magic, magical

• magicament

• magia

Borrowed from French magique. By surface analysis, magie +‎ -ic.

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.d͡ʒik/

magic m or n (feminine singular magică, masculine plural magici, feminine and neuter plural magice)

1. magical

• magic in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)