wizard

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈwɪz.əd/, US /ˈwɪz.ɚd/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wysard (“wise man, sage”), formed from wys (“wise”) (see wise) and -ard.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Etymonline compares Lithuanian žynys (“sorcerer”) and žynė (“witch”), from žinoti (“to know”), the underlying sense perhaps being to know the future.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A philosopher or sage, often with a hint of contempt or evil use: probably before 1425, in the Promptorium Parvulorum, in Barnhart; about 1440 in the OED.^[2][7][3]

Semantic evolution

The sense of one with magic powers did not appear clearly until about 1550,^[2][3][7] since philosophy and magic were hardly told apart in the Middle Ages.^[3] Trench notes that the word once carried no dishonour, as when Cheke called the Magi of Matthew “wisards” and Milton wrote of the “star-led wizards”.^[8] The spelling with z is from 1579, and wizard itself from 1601, in Ben Jonson's Poetaster.^[2] A man who does wonders in his profession is from 1620,^[7] and the slang adjective, excellent, from 1922.^[3] Wizardry is from 1583.^[2]

Timeline

• probably before 1425 – a sage.^[2]
• c. 1550 – a sorcerer.^[2][3]
• 1579 – wizard (adjective).^[7][5]
• 1583 – wizardry.^[2]
• 1620 – a wonder-worker.^[7]
• 1922 – excellent (slang).^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A man who practises magic; a sorcerer.
2. A person who is outstandingly skilled in some field; an expert.
3. (computing) A program that guides a user through a complex task.
4. (obsolete) A wise man; a sage.

Adjective

1. (informal, chiefly British) Excellent; superb.
2. Of or relating to wizards or wizardry.

Word family

• wizardlike
• wizardly
• wizardry

Related words

• wise
• witch
• wisdom

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 Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker