Etymologically
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magia

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Pronunciation

  • /maˈd͡ʒi.a/[1]

Forms

magia f (plural magie)[1] An old form is Old Italian macìa.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin magīa, from Ancient Greek μαγεία (mageía, “the lore of the Persian magi; magic”).[3][4][5][1][6] The Greek noun is derived from μάγος (mágos, “magus”), a borrowing of Old Persian maguš, the Persian name for a priest who interpreted dreams; the Persian word itself has no known etymology.[7][4] Nocentini adds that the Magi were at first a tribe of the Medes, from which the priests came.[4] The Oxford Latin Dictionary records the Latin noun.[8]

DEI notes that the word survives in popular form in the southern dialects and in Sardinian majìa (“witchcraft”).[6][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Sicilian of Giovanni Campulu of Messina (1302–1337).[10] DELI's earliest example is from Francesco da Buti, in the 14th century: “Fu detto mago da magia, ch'è l'arte delle incantazioni” (“he was called a mage from magic, which is the art of spells”).[7][2] The TLIO gives the senses of the art of using occult forces to produce marvels, and of a single magical act or its effect.[10]

Semantic evolution

Gelli called magic “a diabolical and superstitious art”, while Bacon meant by magia naturalis a science of the hidden forces of nature, opposed to black or demonic magic.[2][6] The modern language distinguishes magia bianca, used for good ends, from magia nera, which calls on demons.[3][11][12] The figurative sense “power to charm, enchantment” is recorded from 1667.[7] Per magia or come per magia means “as if by magic, suddenly”.[13][14]

Timeline

  • 1302–1337 – Giovanni Campulu uses magia in Sicilian.[10]
  • 14th century – Francesco da Buti defines it as the art of spells.[7]
  • 1363 – Zingarelli's date for the word.[12]
  • 1667 – The figurative sense “charm” is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. magic, the supposed art of controlling natural or supernatural forces by secret means: Nel romanzo la strega pratica la magia nera.[3][11][5][12]
  2. A spell, a charm: Dice che qualcuno le ha fatto una magia.[3][11]
  3. A conjuring trick: Il prestigiatore ha fatto una magia con le carte.[3][11]
  4. (figurative) enchantment, a strong charm or appeal: la magia di una notte d'estate.[3][11][5][12]
  5. (history) The divination and astrology of the Persian magi.[3][11]
  • mago
  • magico
  • magio
  • Latin magia

Usage notes

The plural is magie.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 9, 442
  3. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2314
  7. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  12. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli