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Magical

Definition: Magical

Magical

Adjective

1. Possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers; "charming incantations"; "magic signs that protect against adverse influence"; "a magical spell"; "'tis now the very witching time of night"- Shakespeare; "wizard wands"; "wizardly powers".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "magical" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Magic

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The term magic may refer to any of the following.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic."

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Magic (Harry Potter)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In the fictional Harry Potter universe, magic is what separates Muggles from witches and wizards. With magical ability witches and wizards can use wands to perform magic. People with magical ability also have the power to see things Muggles don't, such as Dementors.

Terms

Muggle

A term used by those who can use magic to refer to those who cannot. The term is usually used innocuously by most wizards and witches, but is also used in a derogatory way by some of the more evil characters: this is how Rowling suggests something analogous to racism. Examples: Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley

An author named Nancy Stouffer sued Rowling for trademark infringement over her use of the term Muggles, but lost her case.

Pure blood

A term for a wizard or witch whose ancestors have possessed magical powers for untold generations. Examples: Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley

Half blood

A derogatory term used to describe the offspring of a wizard or witch and a Muggle or aparently a witch or wizard and a Muggle-born. Examples: Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort

Mudblood

A derogatory term used to describe a wizard or witch born to Muggle parents(the "poilite" term is Muggle-born.) Examples: Hermione Granger, Lily Potter

Squib

A derogatory term used to describe an individual of wizard heritage without magical powers. Though Squibs do have the power to see Dementors. Examples: Argus Filch, Arabella Figg

Blood traitor

A derogatory term used to describe a wizard with "pure" blood who but refuses to mantain prejudice aganist "impure" peoples. Example: The members of the Weasley family are considered the worst blood traitors in the wizarding world.

Magical Schools

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Durmstrang Institute

Unknown School in Brazil

Unknown School in the United States

Spells

Spells, in the Harry Potter universe, seem to be enacted mostly by speaking a few words, typically in a modified form of Latin, and gesturing with a wand. Potionss are also in heavy use.

External link: Harry Potter Lexicon of Spells

The Fidelius Charm

This charm enables secret information to be hidden within a single living soul, or Secret-keeper. The information is then irretrievable until and unless the Secret-keeper chooses to reveal it; not even those who know the secret can tell it.

Warning: Spoilers follow

So far, there have been only two uses of the Fidelius Charm in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is explained that when Harry was an infant, he and his parents, Lily and James, were hidden from Voldemort with Peter Pettigrew as their Secret-keeper; Pettigrew betrayed them. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the charm is used to hide the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix; Albus Dumbledore is the Secret-keeper, and is apparently able to give permission by letter to reveal the information. This implies that a direct, personal act is not required to bring a new person into the secret.

The root fidelis means trusty or faithful.

Levitation

To cause something to levitate, someone points their wand at what they want to levitate and saw "Wingardium Leviosa" and it will rise into the air. When First Years learn this at Hogwarts, they practice with feathers.

Alohamora

This spell is used to open a door, window, etc. A person merly points their want at what they want to open and say "Alohamora" and it will open. Doors can be magical sealed so that they can't be opened with this spell.

Expecto Patronum

This spell conjures a Patronus, a silvery phantom shape, usually that of an animal, which is the embodiment of the positive thoughts of the caster. A Patronus will drive away Dementors. Harry and his father conjure a stag for their Patronus, while Hermione Granger conjures an otter.

The Dark Arts

While most magic is neutral, the Dark Arts are evil in nature. Students learn Defence Against the Dark Arts, to protect themselves from Dark wizards(unless they are being taught by Dolores Umbridge.)

The Unforgivable Curses

Use of these curses on a fellow human could land you a life sentence in Azkaban. The curses are the Imperius Curse, Cruciatus Curse and Avada Kedavra.

Imperius Curse

The Imperius Curse starts with the incantation: "Impero" and gives the wizard complete control over his victim. It is possible for the victim to fight the curse. The series protagonist, Harry Potter, is shown to be good at fighting the Imperius Curse.

Cruciatus Curse

The Cruciatus Curse is started with incantation "Crucio". It inflicts intense pain upon the victim.

Warning: Spoilers follow

This curse was used to drive Neville Longbottom's parents insane.

Avada Kedavra

When this curse is performed, a green light is emitted from the wand of the curser, killing the victim. Arch-villain Lord Voldemort uses the curse to dispose of his enemies, including Harry Potter's parents.

The term may come from the Arabic Abra Kadabra, meaning 'let the things be destroyed' or from the Aramaic abhadda kedhabhra, meaning 'disappear like this word'. Rather than being used as a curse, the phrase is believed to have been used as a means of treating illness.

Either of the original phrases may have brought into being the term Abracadabra. In common language, the word kedavra has evolved into cadaver, meaning dead body. But note also cadaver may come from Latin cadere, "to fall".

Magical Objects

The Mirror of Erised

The Mirror of Erised is a mystical mirror that Harry discovers in some of the back corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. On it is inscribed, erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi - I show not your face but your heart's desire, written backwards. When someone gazes into the mirror they see nothing more or nothing less than the deepest most desperate desire of their hearts. Harry sees his parents standing beside him. Ron sees himseld as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain holding the Quidditch Cup. Dumbledore says he sees himself holding a pair of socks.

The Marauder's Map

The Marauder's Map was created by Moony, Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail, the map on first appearance is a piece of blank parchment, but when the user says "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" the map appears, showing Hogwarts, and the location of everyone within the grounds. The map also gives information on how to open the secret passageways.

The map was given to Harry by Fred and George Weasley, who found it while unattended in Filch's office. The map made its first appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Snape finds the map in Harry's possession, and tries to force it to reveal its secrets; the map responds by insulting him. Snape suspects dark magic at work, though given that the map's creators, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, detested Snape, they may have added these insults specifically for him.

Howler

A Howler is a bright red letter usually signifying displeasure and anger from the sender directed at the recipient. When opened, the Howler begins to yell in the sender's voice at the recipient, eventually dissolving into scraps of paper. If not opened, it will explode and scream even louder.

Pensieve

A Pensieve is a stone basin, covered in mystic runes, with a fluid or gas within. A wizard can place their memories into the basin, when the mind is too flooded with information. One can more easily examine the patterns and interrelations of thoughts while they float in the Pensieve. The Pensieve also allows the user to fully immerse themselves in the memories stored within, much like a magical form of virtual reality. Tom Riddle's diary seems to have this same form of virtual reality.

Like many names in these books, pensieve is a pun: it is a sieve in that it is a device used for sifting out thoughts, and in using it one becomes pensive or thoughtful.

A Pensieve first appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Remembrall

When you hold a remebrall, it turns red if you've forgotten something. Unfortunately, it does not tell you what you have forgotten.

The DVD of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone contained a software approximation of a remembrall.

See also: Personal Digital Assistant.

The Sorting Hat

The Sorting Hat, in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, is a fictional artifact which magically determines which of the four Hogwarts school houses - Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin - a new student should live in. As the students' names are read out loud alphabetically at the year's opening banquet the hat is placed on each of their heads in turn, and after a few moments' deliberation it announces its choice. The Sorting Hat was originally the hat of Godric Gryffindor. The hat assigned Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley, to Gryffindor in their first year.

Before sorting the students each year the hat recites a new introductory rhyme. These rhymes occasionally warn of danger to come, as in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the hat plays a critical role in the climax of the story by coming to Harry's aid in the Chamber.

In the movie versions of the novels the hat's voice is played by Leslie Phillips.

Floo Powder

Floo powder is a green powder used by Wizards to travel and communicate using fire places. The name comes from the word flue meaning the passageway which leads from a fireplace to the chimney so hot gasses can escape.

Warning:Wikipedia uses spoilers

In the second book the Weasley's travel to Diagon Alley using it and Sirius communicates with Harry in the fourth book using it. In the fifth book, the floo network watches every fire place in Hogwarts except for Dolores Umbridge's fire, and Harry used this fire to communicate with Sirius at headquarters, discovering how uncomfortable it is.

Quidditch Balls and Equitment

There are several enchanted objects needed to play Quidditch, most obvious flying broomsticks. All the balls in the game are enchanted in some way. The Golden Snitch is enchanted to fly around and also to not leave the field. The Bludger is enchanted to fly around and try to knock players off their broomsticks. A Bludger does not focus on one player, unless it has been meddled with, as is the case in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The Quaffle may appear an exception, but it is also enchanted to make it easy to grip, and so it falls more slowly than normal.

Portkey

Portkey are first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. They transport people to other places.

Magical Letters and Signs

Letters

Witchs and wizard can write words in the air with their wands.

Warning: Spoilers Follow

Tom Riddle does at the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to show that I am Lord Voldemort is an anagram for Tom Marvolo Riddle.

The Dark Mark

The Dark Mark is Voldemort's symbol, and is sent up in the air when any one of his followers makes a kill. It is also tattooed onto his faithful Death Eater's left forearms. It comprises of a skull with a serpent in its mouth. According to Snape, the Dark Mark can be triggered by Voldemort to glow, causing pain to the Death Eaters, in order to signal them to apparate to meet him.

Potions

Potions are created from mixing things together in a caldron, to create something that is of some use.

Veritaserum

Veritaserum has properties similar to a truth drug. Three drops has the drinker spelling his/her inermost secrets. The name comes from the Latin veritas ("truth") plus serum.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic (Harry Potter)."

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Magic (paranormal)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Magic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) refers to a way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical or paranormal means. This article provides an overview of specific magical traditions and practises. It also discusses the use of magic as a plot device in various kinds of fiction. For a list of historical figures associated with paranormal magic, see: List of occultists.

Note that the term magic is used in other contexts in other articles. For a discussion of magic as an aspect of religion, see magic and religion. Some people also use the term magick, with that variant spelling, to distinguish the concept of magick as proposed by Aleister Crowley from other varieties of magic.

History of magical beliefs

Appearing from aboriginal tribes in Australia and New Zealand to rainforest tribes in South America, bush tribes in Africa and pagan tribal groups in Western Europe and Britain, some form of shamanic contact with the spirit world seems to be nearly universal in the early development of human communities. The ancient cave paintings in France are widely speculated to be early magical formulations, intended to produce successful hunts. Much of the Babylonian and Egyptian pictorial writing characters appear derived from the same sources.

Although indigenous magical traditions persist to this day, very early on some communities transitioned from nomadic to agricultural civilizations, and with this shift, the development of spiritual life mirrored that of civic life. Just as tribal elders were consolidated and transformed into kings and bureaucrats, so too were shamans and adepts devolved into priests and a priestly caste.

This shift is by no means in nomenclature alone. While the shaman's task was to negotiate between the tribe and the spirit world, on behalf of the tribe, as directed by the collective will of the tribe, the priest's role was to transfer instructions from the deities to the city-state, on behalf of the deities, as directed by the will of those deities. This shift represents the first major usurpation of power by distancing magic from those participating in that magic. It is at this stage of development that highly codified and elaborate rituals, setting the stage for formal religions, began to emerge, such as the funeral rites of the Egyptians and the sacrifice rituals of the Babylonians, Persians, Aztecs and Mayans.

Magical beliefs and practices are common in many cultures and religionss. The word magic comes from the beliefs and practices of the Magi (singular, Magus), Persian priests and scholars, followers of Zoroaster, who were credited by the classical world with mastery of astrology and other arcane arts.

Officially, Judaism, Christianity and Islam characterize magic as witchcraft, but some forms of magical thinking have existed within these religions throughout some of their history. When these religions' views of magic were later applied to the beliefs of other religions, this had the effect of vilifying tribal shamans and other practitioners of magic.

Muslims, followers of the religion of Islam, believe in magic, but forbid its practice. Muslims believe that two Angels taught magic to mankind in order to test their obedience.

And they follow that which the devils falsely related against the kingdom of Solomon. Solomon disbelieved not; but the devils disbelieved, teaching mankind magic and that which was revealed to the two angels in Babel, Harut and Marut. Nor did they (the two angels) teach it to anyone till they had said: We are only a temptation, therefore disbelieve not (in the guidance of Allah). And from these two (angels) people learn that by which they cause division between man and wife; but they injure thereby no-one save by Allah's leave. And they learn that which harmeth them and profiteth them not. And surely they do know that he who trafficketh therein will have no (happy) portion in the Hereafter; and surely evil is the price for which they sell their souls, if they but knew. (al-Qur'an 2:102)

Examples of the suppression of magical belief and practice range from the eradication of neighboring polytheistic tribes by the early Hebrews, to the attempted suppression and eventual appropriation of pagan holidays by the Catholic Church, to the mingled motives of the Conquistadors, to the Salem witch trials of the Puritans. During such periods, the tendency of magic is to become more obscure and esoteric, with a certain element in society always managing to preserve lore and tradition, often in disguised or metaphorical terms. This pattern gave rise to the term occult.

The motivation of much scientific enquiry is similar to the motivation of magic; that it is possible to discover the underlying reality behind mundane reality, and that that reality may have laws and princples which may be discovered and controlled. Unlike the practice of magic, science has the scientific method to correct its errors. As the scientific method took hold, astronomy evolved from astrology, and chemistry from alchemy.

Belief in various magical practices has waxed and waned in European and Western history, under pressure from either organised monotheistic religions or from scepticism about the reality of magic, and the ascendency of scientism. The time of the Emperor Julian of Rome, marked by a reaction against the influence of Christianity, saw a revival of magical practices associated with neo-Platonism under the guise of theurgy.

Mediæval authors, under the control of the Church, confined their magic to compilations of wonderlore and collections of spells. Albertus Magnus was credited, rightly or wrongly, with a number of such compilations. Specifically Christianised varieties of magic were devised at this period. During the early Middle Ages, the cult of relics as objects not only of veneration but also of supernatural power arose. Miraculous tales were told of the power of relics of the saints to work miracles, not only to heal the sick, but for purposes like swaying the outcome of a battle. The relics had become amulets, and various churches strove to purchase scarce or valuable examples, hoping to become places of pilgrimage. As in any other economic endeavour, demand gave rise to supply. Tales of the miracle-working relics of the saints were compiled later into quite popular collections like the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine or the Dialogus miraculorum of Caesar of Heisterbach.

There were other, officially proscribed varieties of Christianised magic. The demonology and angelology contained in the earliest grimoires assume a life surrounded by Christian implements and sacred rituals. The underlying theology in these works of Christian demonology encourages the magician to fortify himself with fasting, prayers, and sacraments, so that by using garbled versions of the holy names of God in foreign languages, he can use divine power to coerce demons into appearing and serving his usually lustful or avaricious magical goals. Not surprisingly, the church disapproved of these rites; they are none the less Christianised for all that, and assume a theology of mechanical sacramentalism.

Renaissance humanism saw a resurgence in hermeticism and other Neo-Platonic varieties of ceremonial magic. The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution, on the other hand, saw the rise of scientism, in such forms as the substitution of chemistry for alchemy, the dethronement of the Ptolemaic theory of the universe assumed by astrology, the development of the germ theory of disease, that restricted the scope of applied magic and threatened the belief systems it relied on. Tensions roused by the Protestant Reformation led to an upswing in witch-hunting, especially in Germany, England, and Scotland; but ultimately, the new theology of Protestantism proved a worse foe to magic by undermining belief in the sort of ritualism that allowed religious rites to be re-purposed towards earthly, magical ends. Scientism, more than religion, proved to be magic's deadliest foe.

More recent periods of renewed interest in magic occurred around the end of the nineteenth century, where Symbolism and other offshoots of Romanticism cultivated a renewed interest in exotic spiritualities. European colonialism, which put Westerners in contact with India and Egypt, re-introduced exotic beliefs to Europeans at this time. Hindu and Egyptian mythology frequently feature in nineteenth century magical texts. The late 19th century spawned a large number of magical organizations, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, and specifically magical variants on Freemasonry. The Golden Dawn represented perhaps the peak of this wave of magic, attracting cultural celebrities like William Butler Yeats, Algernon Blackwood, and Arthur Machen to its banner.

A further revival of interest in magic was heralded by the repeal, in Great Britain, of the last Witchcraft Act in 1951. This was the cue for Gerald Gardner, now recognised as the founder of Wicca, to publish his first non-fiction book Witchcraft Today, in which he claimed to reveal the existence of a witch-cult that dated back to pre-Christian Europe. Gardner's new religion combined magic and religion in a way that was later to cause people to question the Enlightenment's boundaries between the two subjects.

Gardner's new religion, and many imitators, took off in the atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s, when the counterculture of the hippies also spawned another period of renewed interest in magic, divination, and other occult practices. The various branches of neo-paganism and other new earth religions that have sprung up in Gardner's wake tend to follow his lead in combining the practice of magic and religion. The trend was continued by some heirs to the counterculture; feminists led the way when some launched an independent revival of goddess worship. This brought them into contact with the Gardnerian tradition of magical religion, and deeply influenced that tradition in return.

Modern believers in magic

Many people in the West claim to believe in or practise various forms of magic. The forms of magic they adhere to have been reconstructed from secondary or tertiary sources. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley, and their followers are most often credited with the resurgence of magical tradition in the English speaking world of the 20th century, but in their eagerness to reconstruct the lost traditions of the past, they often included elements of questionable authenticity, or manufactured them from whole cloth. Other, similar movements took place at roughly the same time, centred in France and Germany. Thus, any current tradition which acknowledges the natural elements, the seasons, and the practitioner's relationship with the Earth, Gaia, or the Goddess may be correctly regarded as Neopagan, and few such traditions can be sensibly labelled more authentic than any others.

Aleister Crowley preferred the spelling magick, defining it as "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will." By this, he included "mundane" acts of will as well as ritual magick. In Magick in Theory and Practice, Chapter XIV, Crowley says:

What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass by Will. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. Let us take a very simple example of a Magical Act: that of a man blowing his nose.

Although some current practitioners of magic prefer the term pagan, Neopaganism is more correct for scholarly reference to current rituals and traditions. Wicca is a more codified form of modern magic than Neopaganism, again owing much to Crowley and his ilk. Wicca and Neopaganism are very different things from Satanism, which owes its structure and memes primarily to inversions of monotheistic texts.

How does Magic work?

A survey of writings by believers in magic shows that adherents believe that it may work by one or more of these basic principles:

If we analyse the principles of thought on which magic is based, they will probably be found to resolve themselves into two: first, that like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause; and, second, that things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. The former principle may be called the Law of Similarity, the latter the Law of Contact or Contagion. From the first of these principles, namely the Law of Similarity, the magician infers that he can produce any effect he desires merely by imitating it: from the second he infers that whatever he does to a material object will affect equally the person with whom the object was once in contact, whether it formed part of his body or not. [1]

Aleister Crowley wrote that ". . . the exaltation of the mind by means of magical practices leads (as one may say, in spite of itself) to the same results as occur in straightforward Yoga." Crowley's magick thus becomes a form of mental, mystical, or spiritual discipline, designed to train the mind to achieve greater concentration. Crowley also made claims for the paranormal effects of magick, suggesting a connection with the first principle in this list. However, he defined any attempt to use this power for a purpose other than aiding mental or mystical attainment as "black magic".

Many more theories exist. Practitioners will often mix these concepts, and sometimes even invent some themselves. In the contemporary current of chaos magic in particular, it is not unusual to believe any concept of magic works.

Religious ritual and magical thinking

Viewed from a non-theistic perspective, many religious rituals and beliefs seem similar to, or identical to, magical thinking.

Related to both magic and prayer is religious supplication. This involves a prayer, of even a sacrifice to a supernatural being or god. This god or being is then asked to intervene on behalf of the person offering the prayer.

The difference, in theory, is that prayer requires the assent of a deity with an independent will, who can deny the request. Magic, by contrast is thought to be effective:

In practice, when prayer doesn't work, it means that the god has chosen not to hear nor grant it; when magic fails, it is because of some defect in the casting of the spell itself. It is no wonder that magic tends to be more formulaic and less extempore than prayer. Ritual is the magician's failsafe, the key to any hope for success, and the explanation for failure.

Magical practices

The basic mechanism of magical practices is the spell, a spoken or written formula which is used in conjunction with a particular set of ingredients. If a spell is properly executed and fails to work, then the spell is a fraud. However, in most instances, the failure of a spell to bring about the desired effect can be attributed to the failure of the person executing the spell to follow the magic formula to the letter.

Generally speaking, there are two types of magic: contagious magic and sympathetic magic. Contagious magic involves the use of physical ingredients which were once in contact with the object or objects one hopes to influence with a spell, and sympathetic magic involves the use of physical objects which resemble the object or objects one hopes to influence.

Varieties of magical practice

There are several historical varieties of magical practice. Generally, magical intentions can be divided into two general areas. The first is divination, which seeks to reveal information. Varieties of divination include:

Necromancy involves the summoning and conversation with spirits. This can be done either to gain information from the spirits; or it can be done with the intention of commanding those spirits, in which it falls under the second general area of magic; that of casting spells. Included in this broad category are a number of specific magical intentions, such as the weather magic of the rain dance, the physical magic of alchemy, or the making of potions and philtres.

Another method of classifying magic is by "traditions," which in this context typically refer to complexes of magical belief and practice associated with various cultural groups and lineages of transmission. These traditions can compass both divination and spells. Examples of these traditions include:

Some of these traditions are highly specific and culturally circumscribed. Others are more eclectic and syncretistic. When dealing with magic as a tradition, the line often becomes blurry between magic and folk religion.

Magic in fiction

In considering magic as tradition, a related category concerns magic in fiction, where it serves as a plot device, the source of magical artifacts and their quests. Magic has long been a subject of fictional tales, especially in fantasy fiction, where it has been a mainstay from the days of Homer and Apuleius, down through the tales of the Holy Grail, Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and to contemporary authors from J. R. R. Tolkien to Mercedes Lackey and J. K. Rowling (see Magic (Harry Potter)). There may be a well-developed system in fictional magic, or not. It is by no means impossible, moreover, for fictional magic to leap from the pages of fantasy to actual magical practice; such was the fate of the Necronomicon, invented as fiction by H. P. Lovecraft, who sold it so well that there have been several attempts to produce this fabled and dangerous grimoire.

Many mythological or historical magicians have appeared in fictional accounts as well.

See: List of occultists

See also: magical thinking, skepticism, fetishism, animism.

Links: The Academic Study of Miracles and Magic: http://morgan.somethingeasytoremember.co.uk/index.html

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic (paranormal)."

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Magic and religion

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

This article deals with magic in the context of religion and the anthropology of religion. A belief in magic as a means of influencing the supernatural or natural seems to have been universal to all cultures and all religions prior to the advent of monotheism, and there is significant historical evidence that magic was part of early Judaism and Christianity. However, the influence of Zoroastrianism, which is generally accepted by religious scholars as the source of beliefs in an evil entity engaged in a cosmic battle with God, coincided with a suppression of magical beliefs and practices in the context of monotheism.

The term magic is often used in various other contexts that may be confused with magic in the context of religion. In fact, some anthropologists have asserted that magical thinking is a form of proto-science or pseudoscience rather than a form of religious practice, most notable among them being Sir James George Frazer and Bronislaw K. Malinowski. However, this viewpoint is an ethnocentric one, common to Western culture, which venerates the objectivity of science. In line with this viewpoint, magic in the context of religion is often conflated with magic in the context of the paranormal. Some people also use the term magick, with a spelling that is distinct and different from magic, to distinguish various concepts of magic from the one proposed by Aleister Crowley. Wholly distinct from all of these concepts of magic is magic in the context of stage magic.

Due to waves of monotheistic persecution and the accompanying persistent destruction of art and writing related to magical traditions, magic as it has come to be known in Western culture has generally been reconstructed from secondary, tertiary, or even more remote sources. Aleister Crowley and his disciples are most often credited with the resurgence of magical tradition in the last century, but in their eagerness to reconstruct the lost traditions of the past, they often included elements of questionable authenticity, or manufactured them from whole cloth. Thus, any current tradition which acknowledges the natural elements, the seasons, and the practitioner's relationship with the Earth, Gaia or the Goddess may be regarded as neo-pagan, and few such traditions can be sensibly labelled more authentic than any others.

Although some modern practitioners of magic prefer the term 'Pagan', Neopaganism is more correct for scholarly reference to current rituals and traditions. Wicca is a more codified form of modern magic than Neopaganism, again owing much to Crowley and his ilk. In no case can either Wicca, or NeoPaganism be correctly identified with Satanism, which owes its structure and memes primarily to inversions of monotheistic texts.

Magical practices

The basic mechanism of magical practices is the spell, a spoken or written formula which is used in conjunction with a particular set of ingredients. If a spell is properly executed and fails to work, then the spell is a fraud. However, in most instances, the failure of a spell to bring about the desired effect can be attributed to the failure of the person executing the spell to follow the magic formula to the letter.

Generally speaking, there are two types of magic: Contagious magic and sympathetic magic. Contagious magic involves the use of physical ingredients which were once in contact with the object or objects one hopes to influence with a spell, and sympathetic magic involves the use of physical objects which resemble the object or objects one hopes to influence.

Related religious practices

Closely related to magic is religious ritual, such as prayer. The major difference between magic and ritual is that ritual does not always work, even when it is carried out properly. Rather, the proper performance of a ritual simply increases the likelihood of a desired result coming to pass.

Also closely related to magic is religious supplication. This involves a sacrifice to a supernatural being, such as a god, angel, or demon, who is asked to intervene on behalf of the person performing the sacrifice, usually a priest, a shaman, or a medicine man or woman. Supplication can be considered a particular, specialized form of prayer.

Evidence of magical practices in the archaelogical and historical record

Appearing from aboriginal tribes in Australia and New Zealand to rainforest tribes in South America, bush tribes in Africa and pagan tribal groups in Western Europe and Britain, some form of shamanic contact with the spirit world seems to be nearly universal in the early development of human communities. The ancient cave paintings in France are widely speculated to be early magical formulations, intended to produce successful hunts. Much of the Babylonian and Egyptian pictorial writing characters appear derived from the same sources.

Although indigenous magical traditions persist to this day, very early on some communities transitioned from nomadic to agricultural civilizations, and with this shift, the development of spiritual life mirrored that of civic life. Just as tribal elders were consolidated and transformed into kings and bureaucrats, so too were shamans and adepts devolved into priests and a priestly caste.

This shift is by no means in nomenclature alone. While the shaman's task was to negotiate between the tribe and the spirit world, on behalf of the tribe, as directed by the collective will of the tribe, the priest's role was to transfer instructions from the deities to the city-state, on behalf of the deities, as directed by the will of those deities. This shift represents the first major usurpation of power by distancing magic from those participating in that magic. It is at this stage of development that highly codified and elaborate rituals, setting the stage for formal religions, began to emerge, such as the funeral rites of the Egyptians and the sacrifice rituals of the Babylonians, Persians, Aztecs and Maya civilizations.

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Synonyms: Magical

Synonyms: charming (adj), magic (adj), sorcerous (adj), witching(a) (adj), wizard(a) (adj), wizardly (adj). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Magical

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Sorcery

Adjective: magic, magical; mystic, weird, cabalistic, talismanic, phylacteric, incantatory; charmed; Verb: Circean, odylic, voodoo.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Magical

English words defined with "magical": Achilles, Aladdin's lamp, as if by magic ♦ bewitchment, black art, black magic ♦ Cannei, charm, charming, conjuring trick ♦ deception, devil's apples ♦ enchantment, Evil eye ♦ faerie, faery, fairy, fetich, fetichism, fetish, fetishism ♦ Hellbroth, hoodoo ♦ illusion, incantation, Incantatory ♦ juju ♦ legerdemain, love-philter, love-philtre, love-potion, lycanthropy ♦ magic, magic spell, magic trick, magically, Mandragora officinarum, mandrake, May dew ♦ natural ♦ Open Sesame ♦ philter, philtre, potion ♦ ritualism, rune, runic letter, Runic wand ♦ sorcerous, sorcery, spell, sprite ♦ Talismanical, Tantra, Tantrism, Telesm, Telesmatical, Teraphim, Thaumaturgical, Thaumaturgics, Theurgical, trance, trick ♦ voodoo ♦ wishing cap, witch doctor, witching, wizard, wizardly ♦ Zendik. (references)
Specialty definitions using "magical": bamf ♦ Gamaheu, Giants' Dance, Glory Hand ♦ Hell Broth, HURST ♦ Medicine, Traditional ♦ SEAL. (references)
Etymologies containing "magical": Talisman. (references)

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Modern Usage: Magical

DomainUsage

Screenplays

The origin of everything we see about us. The finality of death; how almost magical it seems in the real world, as opposed to the world of celluloid and flickering shadows (The Purple Rose of Cairo; writing credit: Woody Allen.)

I'm the magical man from Happyland, in a gumdrop house on Lollipop Lane (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

Plus ours will be doubly magical - half Whitelighter (Charmed; writing credit: Colman deKay)

There's nothing magical about it (Reign of Fire; writing credit: Damon Packard)

I tell you, there's something magical about Brown (Family Guy; writing credit: Dolores Payás)

Lyrics

Turnaround, Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you (TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART; performing artist: Bonnie Tyler)

Exotic sweetness, a magical time (I Love You Always Forever; performing artist: Donna Lewis)

There's a magical feeling so right (Can't Fight The Moonlight; performing artist: LeAnn Rimes)

Magical, life's a ball (Vogue; performing artist: Madonna)

A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical. (The Logical Song; performing artist: Supertramp)

Movie/TV Titles

Bellydance! Magical Motion (1998)

The Magical Mystery Trip Through Little Red's Head (1974)

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

The Magical Press (1907)

A Magical Galatea (1907)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Magical

DomainTitle

Books

  • All New Tricks for Trainers: 57 Tricks and Techniques to Grab and Hold the Attention of Any Audience...and Get Magical Results (reference)

  • Heavenly Miracles: Magical True Stories of Guardian Angels and Answered Prayers (reference)

  • The Gift of Dreams: Magical Tales of the Wandering Jews and the Gypsies from the Black Sea (Secrets of the World) [ABRIDGED] (reference)

  • Michael Hague's Magical World of Unicorns (reference)

  • Zigazak! A Magical Hanukkah Night (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  

Theater & Movies

  • The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (reference)

  • Spot's Magical Christmas (reference)

  • Wee Sing: Wee Sing Together - A Magical Musical (reference)

    (more DVD examples; more video examples)

  

Music

  

High Tech

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Magical

Illustrations:
Magical

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Magical

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Magical

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

The magical power of that morning cup of coffee. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.

A magical musical comedy, Bimbo of Bombay. Credit: Library of Congress.

The world famous self-liberator, Houdini the supreme ruler of mystery will present a grand magical revue in which he will prove himself to be the greatest mystifier that history chronicles which will be seen for the third time on any stage. Credit: Library of Congress.

Herrmann the Great Co. 3rd annual tour of the Herrmann the Great Co. : the premier magical entertainment of the world : headed by Leon and Adelaide Herrmann in new startling sensations and illusions, eclipsing anything ever attempted in the world of magic. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Magical
 

"Sea Grass" by James Moore
Commentary: "There is something magical when you're in the middle of somewhere like a wheat field, or a field of tall grass with the wind blowing through it. I wanted this shot to be fluid, watery, nostalgic-dreamy, soft, REM.If anyone uses this image I'd appreciate"

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Familiar Quotations: Magical

AuthorQuotation

Eden Phillpotts

The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

John Quincy Adams

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.

Plato

Whatever deceives men seems to produce a magical enchantment.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Magical

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

If some magical, easy cure for cancer existed, caregivers would be the first to make it available. (references)

Worker Rights

Netherlands

According to the Terre des Hommes organization, their families have signed contracts with trafficking organizations, often sanctioned by "voodoo" priests; the girls strongly believe in the magical power of voodoo. (references)

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

SEAL, n. A mark impressed upon certain kinds of documents to attest their authenticity and authority. Sometimes it is stamped upon wax, and attached to the paper, sometimes into the paper itself. Sealing, in this sense, is a survival of an ancient custom of inscribing important papers with cabalistic words or signs to give them a magical efficacy independent of the authority that they represent. In the British museum are preserved many ancient papers, mostly of a sacerdotal character, validated by necromantic pentagrams and other devices, frequently initial letters of words to conjure with; and in many instances these are attached in the same way that seals are appended now. As nearly every reasonless and apparently meaningless custom, rite or observance of modern times had origin in some remote utility, it is pleasing to note an example of ancient nonsense evolving in the process of ages into something really useful. Our word "sincere" is derived from sine cero, without wax, but the learned are not in agreement as to whether this refers to the absence of the cabalistic signs, or to that of the wax with which letters were formerly closed from public scrutiny. Either view of the matter will serve one in immediate need of an hypothesis. The initials L.S., commonly appended to signatures of legal documents, mean locum sigillis, the place of the seal, although the seal is no longer used -- an admirable example of conservatism distinguishing Man from the beasts that perish. The words locum sigillis are humbly suggested as a suitable motto for the Pribyloff Islands whenever they shall take their place as a sovereign State of the American Union.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Magical

"Magical" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.07% of the time. "Magical" is used about 855 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words		Rank in English
Adjective (general or positive)99.07%8478,317
Noun (proper)0.93%8124,375
                    Total100.00%855N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Expressions: Magical

Expressions using "magical": magical ability ♦ magical cure ♦ Magical diet ♦ Magical healing ♦ Magical herbalism ♦ Magical Mind Magical Body ♦ magical power ♦ magical wand. Additional references.

Hyphenated Usage

Beginning with "magical": magical-mythical, magical-religious.

Ending with "magical": deee-magical, near-magical, quasi-magical, semi-magical.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Magical

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day		ExpressionFrequency
per Day

magical

188

magical power

20

fantasy magical

165

allakazams magical realm

19

magical creature

76

magical fairy

19

magical mystery tour

62

beatles magical mystery tour

18

doremi magical

61

bean jelly keyfinder magical

18

magical realism

50

magical vacation

17

magical welcome

41

magical mushroom

17

magical name

41

magical midway

17

kingdom magical

40

emi magical

16

magical herb

34

bean jelly magical

16

magical twilight

33

magical memory vacation

15

magical realm

29

horse magical

15

caesars magical empire

28

the magical woman

14

the magical legend of the leprechauns

24

magical plant

14

alakazams magical realm

23

magical wands

13

magical drop

22

magical blend

13

magical memory

20

collection disney magical

13

magical spells

20

magical spell

12

allakhazams magical realm

20

chat kingdom magical

12

magical symbol

20

magical moment

12
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Magical

Language Translations for "magical"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Albanian

  

magjik (elfish, elvish, enchanting, magic, occult), magjepsës (bewitching, captivating, charming, enchanting, enthralling, entrancing, fascinating, glamor, glamorous, glamour, glamourous, magic, ravishing, witching), i pashpjegueshëm (inexplicable, magic, unaccountable), i mistershëm (cryptic, hidden, magic, mysterious, mystic, occult, puzzling, uncanny, weird), i mbinatyrshëm (eldritch, magic, miraculous, preternatural, supernatural, unearthly), i magjishëm (charmed, fairy, magic, witching, wizard). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏فاتن (alluring, attractive, breathtaking, captivating, catching, charming, cute, darling, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, exquisite, fascinating, glamorous, glamourous, likely, lovely, magic, mesmeric, personable, philanderer, picturesque, pretty, ravishing, seducer, spellbinding, stunning, superb, sweet, tempter, thrilling, winning, winsome, zestful), ‏غامض (abstruse, ambiguous, cloudy, deep, dim, double faced, dreamy, enigmatic, evasive, fuzzy, grave, hazy, impenetrable, incomprehensible, indecisive, indefinite, indeterminate, indistinct, indistinguishable, inscrutable, intangible, lax, magic, misty, mysterious, mystic, nebulous, obscure, occult, opaque, puzzling, recondite, secret, shady, sketchy, slippery, sloppy, uncertain, unintelligible, vague, woolly), ‏سحري (magic, matutinal, weird, wizard, wonder), ‏ساحر (attractive, bewitched, captivating, charming, conjuror, darling, ducky, enchanting, engaging, fascinating, fetching, glamorous, glamourous, magic, magnetic, magus, mesmeric, pleasant, prestigious, ravishing, stunning, taking, winning, winsome, zestful), ‏خالب للعين (magic). (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

чародеен (magic), вълшебен (elfin, fairy, magic), магически (magic, theurgic). (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

魔术 (magic, magically, Sorceries, sorcery). (various references)

   

Czech

  

magický (necromantic, occult), zázraèný (miraculous, providential). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

toverachtig (magic), magisch. (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

magia. (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

وابسته به سحروجادو, سحرامیز (Magic, Sorcerous), جادوءی (Wizardry). (various references)

   

French

  

magique (magic). (various references)

   

Frisian

  

magysk. (various references)

   

German

  

magisch (magic, magically, magicly), zauberisch (magic). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

μαγικόσ (magic, sorcerous, weird, witching, wizardly). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

קסמי, כשופי. (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

varázslatos (charmed, enchanting, magic, wizard), mágikus (magic). (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

keampuhan (magical power, potency), guna-guna (magic, magical formulas, witchcraft), ampuh (effective, endowed with magical power, potent), ajian (charm, magical formula, spell), aji (charm, magical formula, spell). (various references)

   

Italian

  

magico (charming, fairy, fascinating, magic, weird). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

マシン油 (barowner, machine oil, magic, magic glass, magic hand, magic ink marker, magic mirror, magic number, Magic Tape, magician, majolica, Majorca, majority, manager, manipulator, mascara, mascot, masculine, mask, masker, masking, mass, mass communication, mass consumption, mass democracy, mass fashion, mass game, mass media, mass production, mass sales, mass screening, Masscomp, mast, master, master course, master file, master key, master plan, master tape, masterpiece, Masters Golf Tournament, masturbation, mazurka, muscat, mustard, proprietor, serious, to jerk off, to masturbate). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

マジカル . (various references)

   

Korean 

  

마술 (magic). (various references)

   

Manx

  

pishagagh (incantatory, sorcerer, superstitious). (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

magisk (magic). (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

agicalmay.(various references)

   

Portuguese

  

mágico (conjurer, fairy, mage, magic, magician, mystical, sorcerer, warlock, witching). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

minunat (beautiful, beautifully, best, brave, bright, capital, champion, charming, delightfully, exceptional, jolly, lovely, magic, marvellous, miraculous, paradisaic, paradisaical, passing, proud, royal, special, splendid, strange, superb, superbly, supernatural, tiptop, wonderful, wonder-working), magic (magic, magically, mystic, occult, weird), fermecat (bewitched, charmed, delighted, ecstatic, elf-struck, enchanted, fascinated, magic, spellbound, wonder struck), fermecãtor (captivating, charming, delightful, delightfully, enchanting, entrancing, magic, ravishing, winsome, wizard), de vrãjitor (magic), de basm (dreamlike, magic). (various references)

   

Russian 

  

феерический (enchanting, magic), колдовской (magic, necromantic, voodoo, witching, witchy), волшебный (elvish, fairy, magic), магический (magic). (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

magijski (magic), magičan (elfin, elvish, magic), čaroban (glamor, glamorous, glamour, glamourous, magic, witching). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

mágico (elfish, elvish, fairy, magic, magician, occult). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

magisk (magic, mumbo jumbo). (various references)

   

Thai

  

วิเศษ ((I) love it!, froody, magic, splendid). (various references)

   

Turkish

  

sihirsel, büyülü (eldritch, occult, sorcerous), büyü gibi. (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

чарівний (admirable, adorable, alluring, amiable, appealing, basilisk, captivating, charming, compelling, darling, delicious, delightful, elfish, elvish, enchanted, enchanting, engaging, entrancing, fairy, fascinating, glamorous, glamourous, goluptious, ingratiating, lovely, magic, orphean, pretty), магічний (hermetic, magic, necromantic). (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Magical

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

magi, magicae, magis, magisque, mago, magos, magum, magus, pythonicus. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Magical

Derivations

Words beginning with "magical": magically. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Magical" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: baginal, imajical, Magacad, magian, magice, magiced, magicial, Magico, maginal, Maginco, magrical, Mahipal, manical, Matica, minical, mufical, Mugica, Namgyal, negidal, saggital. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Magical"

# of Phoneme MatchesPronunciationWord(s) rhyming with "magical" (pronounced ma"jikul)
5-j i k u larchaeological, archeological, astrological, biological, biotechnological, chronological, dermatological, ecological, epidemiological, eschatological, geological, gynecological, ideological, illogical, immunological, strategical, surgical, technological, teleological, theological, liturgical, logical, metallurgical, methodological, morphological, mythological, neurological, nonsurgical, ontological, ornithological, pathological, pedagogical, pharmacological, phonological, physiological, psychological, radiological, serological, sociological, toxicological, virological, zoological.
4-i k u lacoustical, alphabetical, analytical, antithetical, apolitical, astronautical, astronomical, asymmetrical, atypical, autobiographical, bicycle, biographical, biomedical, botanical, categorical, cervical, classical, comical, conical, critical, cubicle, cyclical, cylindrical, cynical, diabolical, dialectical, ecclesiastical, economical, ecumenical, egotistical, electrical, electrochemical, electromechanical, elliptical, empirical, encyclical, ethical, ethnical, evangelical, fanatical, galenical, geographical, geometrical, geopolitical, graphical, helical, heretical, historical, hypercritical, hypocritical, hysterical, icicle, identical, spherical, statistical, stereotypical, symmetrical, tactical, technical, testicle, theatrical, inimical, ironical, lackadaisical, lexical, logistical, lyrical, mathematical, mechanical, metaphorical, metaphysical, metrical, musical, mystical, neoclassical, nonelectrical, nonpolitical, nonsensical, nontechnical, optical, paradoxical, periodical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, philosophical, physical, popsicle, preclinical, problematical, prototypical, psychical, puritanical, rabbinical, rhetorical, sabbatical, semiclassical, semicylindrical, semitropical, theoretical, topical, tricycle, tropical, typographical, tyrannical, umbilical, uncritical, uneconomical, unethical, untypical, vehicle, vertical, viatical, whimsical.
3-k u laeronautical, agrochemical, allegorical, anarchical, anatomical, ankle, anthropological, article, barnacle, biblical, bifocal, biochemical, brickle, buckle, cackle, chemical, Chronicle, chuckle, circle, clavicle, clerical, clinical, commonsensical, coracle, cortical, crackle, cuticle, cycle, debacle, diacritical, domical, ducal, encircle, epochal, equivocal, etymological, farcical, fecal, fickle, fiscal, focal, follicle, freckle, geophysical, gonococcal, grackle, grammatical, granduncle, hackle, heckle, heterocercal, hierarchical, honeysuckle, Huckle, hypothetical, impractical, Sokol, sparkle, speckle, spectacle, sprinkle, stickle, suckle, tabernacle, tackle, tentacle, jackal, knuckle, local, maniacal, matriarchal, medical, meikle, meteorological, methodical, Mickle, miracle, monocle, motorcycle, muckle, mythical, nautical, nickel, Nickle, Nicol, numerical, obstacle, Oracle, oratorical, par