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magic

Etymology and origin of the English word magic

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1380
Borrowed from
Old French magique via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Old Persian (maguš)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmædʒ.ɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English magik,[2][3] borrowed from Old French magique,[4][2] from Late Latin magicē (“sorcery, magic”),[4][2] from Ancient Greek μαγική (magikḗ), probably with the word for “art” understood,[4][2] the feminine of μαγικός (magikós, “magical”),[4][2] from μάγος (mágos, “a member of a priestly caste”),[4][2] from Old Persian maguš,[4][2] which Etymonline thinks possibly from Proto-Indo-European *magh- (“to be able, have power”).[4] The adjective is from Latin magicus.[2][4] See magus.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The art of influencing or predicting events by hidden or supernatural forces: about 1380, in Chaucer's House of Fame,[2] the late 14th century in Etymonline,[4] and about 1386 in the OED.[6] The adjective is from before 1393, in Gower.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The magi were a learned priestly caste of ancient Persia, said by ancient historians to have been originally a Median tribe,[2] and were thought to have unusual powers.[5] The word displaced Old English wiccecræft “witchcraft” and drycræft, from dry “magician”.[4] Black magic is from about 1384,[6] and natural magic from the 1570s.[4] A secret, overmastering influence like magic is from 1611,[6] and the art of conjuring tricks and illusion from 1811 in Etymonline[4] and 1831 in the OED.[6] The magic lantern is from the 1690s, from Modern Latin laterna magica,[4] and the magic carpet by 1816.[4] Like magic is from 1857.[6] Something remarkable, as in a magic touch, is from the mid-19th century, and magic! as an exclamation meaning “excellent” from the 1950s.[5] The verb is from 1864 in Etymonline[4] and 1906 in Merriam-Webster.[3] Magician is from about 1375.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1375 – magician.[2]
  • c. 1380 – the art of magic.[2]
  • c. 1384 – black magic.[6]
  • before 1393 – adjective.[2]
  • 1611 – an influence like magic.[6]
  • 1690s – magic lantern.[4]
  • 1811 – conjuring tricks.[4]
  • 1864 – verb.[4]
  • 1950s – “excellent!”.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The supposed art of controlling events or natural forces by invoking the supernatural; spells and charms.
  2. The art of performing tricks and illusions for entertainment; conjuring.
  3. A mysterious quality of enchantment: the magic of the theatre.

Adjective

  1. Of or used in magic.
  2. Having remarkable or baffling effects.
  3. (British informal) Excellent.

Verb

  1. To produce or remove as if by magic.

Word family

  • magical
  • magically
  • magic bullet
  • magic lantern
  • magic marker
  • magic mushroom
  • magic number
  • magic realism

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Magic.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/magic. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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