magie

Forms

magie f (plural magii)^[1] The older form is maghie, still used in 1827: „O poezie bine alcătuită... lucrează ca o maghie ori în ce suflet” “a well-made poem works like a spell on any soul”.^[2][3]

Etymology

The modern word is borrowed from French magie.^[4][2][5][1] MDA2 and Tiktin name Modern Greek μαγεία (mageía) beside the French word, and the DLR derives the older form maghie from the Greek one.^[3][6][2] Scriban gives the Latin and Greek words as its source.^[7]

The French word, recorded from 1535, is a borrowing of Latin magia, from Ancient Greek μαγεία (mageía, “religion of the Persian magi; sorcery”), derived from μαγεύω (mageúō, “to be a magus”), itself from μάγος (mágos).^[8] In Greek the word meant first the theology of the Magians and then magic.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Tiktin dates the first record to 1705, in Cantemir, in the form maghie: „Meșterșugul maghiii foarte bine am învățat” “I have learned the craft of magic very well”.^[6] The DLR quotes the same passage after Tiktin.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The first sense is the practice of calling on hidden powers to work wonders: Șincai writes of someone who had learned so much magic that he could turn a man into a wolf.^[2] From it came the sense of a single magical act or effect, a spell, which the DLR quotes from 1827 on, and the figurative sense of an irresistible charm, recorded by Negulici and Costinescu.^[2] Negulici's dictionary of 1848 defines it as the illusory art of producing effects beyond nature with the help of demons or of unknown natural means, and figuratively as an illusion produced by art.^[10] Costinescu's example is magia musicii “the magic of music”.^[11]

The phrases magie neagră “black magic”, which calls on demons, and magie albă “white magic”, effects that seem supernatural but use natural means, are quoted from Bacovia and Călinescu on.^[2] Recent press texts use magie albă for harmless magic practised with plants and talismans.^[12]

Timeline

• 1705 – maghie in Cantemir, the first record.^[6]
• 1825 – magie, plural magii, in the Lexicon de la Buda, with Latin, Hungarian and German equivalents.^[13]
• 1827 – maghie “spell”, of the effect of a poem.^[2]
• 1848 – Negulici's dictionary of neologisms, with the figurative sense “illusion produced by art”.^[10]
• 1865 – Pisone explains it with vrăjitorie “sorcery”.^[14]
• 1869 – magii fantastice dulci “sweet fantastic spells” in a periodical.^[2]
• 1870 – magia musicii “the magic of music” in Costinescu's dictionary.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. magic, sorcery: the procedures, formulas and rites by which supernatural forces are called on to work miracles, and their practice;^[4][2][15] magie neagră “black magic”;^[4][2][15] magie albă “white magic”.^[4][2][15]
2. A magical act or effect; a spell.^[2][3]
3. (figurative) An irresistible power of attraction; charm, enchantment: magia serilor de vară.^[4][2]

Related words

• maghie
• magician

Usage notes

The plural magii is rare and used for the sense “spell”.^[2][3] Ca prin magie “as if by magic, suddenly” is a rare expression.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. magie
3. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1416
4. ^ a b c d e DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 610
5. ^ Costăchescu, Adriana; Dincă, Daniela; Dragoste, Ramona; Popescu, Mihaela; Scurtu, Gabriela (2009–2010), Dicționar de împrumuturi lexicale din limba franceză (DILF), 2 vols., Craiova: Universitaria, p. s.v. magie
6. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. magie
7. ^ Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 765
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. magie
11. ^ a b Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 57
12. ^ Dimitrescu, Florica (1997), Dicționar de cuvinte recente, 2nd ed., București: Logos (with the 3rd ed., 2013, in CLRE), p. s.v. magie
13. ^ Lesicon românescu-latinescu-ungurescu-nemțescu quare de mai mulți autori, în cursul a trideci și mai multor ani s-au lucrat (1825), Buda: Typographia Universității (the Lexicon of Buda, ed. Petru Maior et al.), p. 368
14. ^ Pisone, Domițian (1865), Dictionariu românescu, latinescu, germanescu și francescu, lucrat după sistemul Lexiconului de Buda, București: Typografia Ioann Weiss, p. 212
15. ^ a b c Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. magie