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Definition: Magician |
MagicianNoun1. Someone who performs magic tricks to amuse an audience. 2. One who practices magic or sorcery. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "magician" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
Etymology: Magician \Ma*gi"cian\, noun. [French expression magicien. See Magic, noun.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Literature | Magician The Great Magician or Wizard of the North. Professor Wilson calls Sir Walter Scott the Great Magician, from the wonderful fascination of his writings. Magician of the North. The title assumed by Johann Georg Hamann, of Prussia (1730-1788). Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Occupations | Performs original and stock tricks of illusion and sleight of hand to entertain and mystify audience, using props, such as illusion boxes, scarf, cards, rabbit, and jewelry. May include participant from audience in act to remove personal valuables, such as wallets or jewelry, without participant's knowledge. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The term magic may refer to any of the following.
- Magic (paranormal) deals with the manipulation of what the practitioner believes to be genuine paranormal phenomena.
- Magic and religion deals with the relationship of paranormal magic and religion.
- Magic (illusion) deals with the use of illusions and tricks to give the appearance of magical phenomena, with intent to amuse.
- The term magician can refer to a practitioner of either paranormal magic or illusionism. See list of magicians (illusionists); list of occultists (paranormal)
- Magic: the Gathering, is a card game invented by Richard Garfield.
- Magic may refer to a United Kingdom television channel. See: Magic TV
- The Orlando Magic is an NBA basketball team
- Magic (software) is a popular and free VLSI layout tool.
- In computer programming, some arcane techniques are referred to as magic. See e.g. deep magic or black magic.
- Magic in the Harry Potter books
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Magic or conjuring is a feat of illusion that naive observers would consider to arise from supernatural powers. The practitioners of this are called magicians or illusionists.One of the meanings of magic refers to the use of trickery to perform feats that seem to defy conventional explanation. Almost all types of trickery are used in magic, including feats of physical dexterity, specially constructed props and mathematical results.
Magic is usually performed before an audience which is ignorant of the type of trick being used. The purpose of a magic trick is to amuse; the audience is generally aware that the magic is performed using trickery, and derives enjoyment from having the magician use cunning to deceive them. Usually, magicians will refuse to reveal their methods to the audience. The reasons for these include:
Membership in professional magicians' organizations often requires an oath not to reveal the secrets of magic to non-magicians. This is known as the "Magician's Oath". However, it is considered permissible to reveal secrets to individuals who are determined to learn magic tricks and become magicians. Thus, the secrets to many common tricks are available to the public through numerous books and magazines devoted to magic.
- Exposure obviously "kills" magic as an artform and transforms it into mere intellectual puzzles or riddles. Once the secret of a trick is revealed to a person, he or she can no longer fully enjoy subsequent performances of the trick.
- Keeping the secrets obviously also provides a financial incentive for magicians who perform for money.
Categories of Magic
Magic performances fall into three broad genres:
- Close-up magic, which is performed with the audience close to the magician, possibly in physical contact. It usually makes use of everyday items as props, such as cards and coins. Exponents of close-up magic include Paul Zenon.
- Parlor magic, which is performed for small groups of people slightly separated from the magician. This type of magic often makes use of portable props specially designed for performing magic.
- Stage magic, which is performed for large audiences, typically within an auditorium. This type of magic is distinguished by elaborate, large-scale props. The most famous magicians in the world, such as David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, and Penn and Teller, are best known for their ability in stage-magic.
Techniques
Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilersOne principle that underlies many magic tricks is misdirection, which is the act of drawing to audience's attention to one location while, in another location, the magician performs a crucial manipulation undetected. For example, during a simple coin trick a magician might pretend to transfer a coin from his left hand to his right, while actually keeping the coin in the left. In order to create misdirection, the fingers of the right hand will appear to close over the coin, and the fist is prominently displayed to the audience; the left hand hangs loosely, as though it were empty.
Many different techniques are used to create misdirection, and all require great amounts of practice to perfect. One technique is the use of natural-looking and confident movements, which the magician uses to disguise any surreptitious manipulations (as in the previously described coin trick.) Another technique is the use of a confident flow of chatter from the magician, known as "patter." Patter may take the form of a story, or it may simply be the magician (selectively) narrating the actions being performed. Either way, it directs the attention of the audience wherever the magician wishes.
Another technique of misdirection is the use of optical illusions to hide or displace the location or size of objects. When the sides of a box are painted with concentric rectangles, or a hollow tabletop is beveled so that it is thicker in the center than at the edges, such containers appear to be much thinner than they actually are. These are often used in stage illusions, since they allow an assistant to hide in a space that appears to be too small to fit in, or to turn sideways and assume different positions in a box when there appears be too little room to move.
Apart from misdirection, some magic tricks can be classified by the type of technique used. For example, card magic includes a set of standard techniques for pretending to shuffle a set of cards, concealing cards in the hand (referred to as "palming"), and so forth; coin magic has a similar set of techniques for hiding and transferring coins. However, the majority of magic tricks cannot be classified in this way, and are sometimes referred to as "general magic."
See also:
List of magicians, Harry Blackstone, David Blaine, Lance Burton, Tommy Cooper, Doug Henning, Harry Houdini, James Randi, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Ricky Jay, Erdnase, FengAbracadabra, presto, shill, List of magic tricks
External Links
- http://www.magician.org/ The International Brotherhood of Magicians homepage.
- http://www.magicsam.com/ The Society of American Magicians
- http://allmagic.com/
- http://www.magictalk.com
- http://www.themagiccafe.com
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic (illusion)."
(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.
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.
- 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)
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:
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.
- 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.
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]
- Natural forces that cannot be detected by science at present, and in fact may not be detectable at all. These magical forces are said to exist in addition to and alongside the four known forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force.
- Intervention of spirits similar to these hypothetic natural forces, but with their own consciousness and intelligence. Believers in spirits will often see a whole cosmos of beings of many different kinds, sometimes organized into a hierarchy.
- A mystical power, such as mana, that exists in all things. This power is often said to be dangerous to people.
- A mysterious interconnection in the cosmos that connects and binds all things, above and beyond the natural forces.
- Manipulation of symbols. Adherents of magical thinking believe that symbols can be used for more than representation: they can magically take on a physical quality of the phenomenon or object that they represent. By manipulating symbols, one is said to be able to manipulate the reality that this symbol represents.
- The principles of sympathetic magic of Sir James George Frazer, explicated in his The Golden Bough (third edition, 1911-1915). These principles include the "law of similarity" and the "law of contact" or "contagion." These are systematized versions of the manipulation of symbols. Frazer defined them this way:
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".
- Concentration or meditation. A certain amount of restricting the mind to some imagined object (or will), according to Aleister Crowley, produces mystical attainment or "an occurrence in the brain characterized essentially by the uniting of subject and object." (Book Four, Part 1: Mysticism) Magick, as defined previously, seeks to aid concentration by constantly recalling the attention to the chosen object (or Will), thereby producing said attainment. For example, if one wishes to concentrate on a God, one might memorize a system of correspondances (perhaps chosen arbitrarily, as this would not affect its usefulness for mystical purposes) and then make every object that one sees "correspond" to said God.
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.
- The magical power of the subconscious mind. To believers who think they need to convince their subconscious mind to make the changes they want, all spirits and energies are projections and symbols that make sense to the subconscious. A variant of this belief is that the subconscious is capable of contacting spirits, who in turn can work magic.
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.
- by virtue of the operation itself;
- or by the strength of the magician's will;
- or because the magician believes he can command the spiritual beings addressed by his spells.
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.
- astrology
- augury
- cartomancy
- dowsing
- fortune telling
- geomancy
- I Ching
- omens
- tarot cards
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.
- hermeticism
- seid
- hoodoo
- New Age
- pow-wow (folk magic)
- ritual magick
- Santeria
- Vodun
- Wicca
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)."
(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.
External link
- The Academic Study of Miracles and Magic
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Magic and religion."
Synonyms: MagicianSynonyms: conjurer (n), conjuror (n), illusionist (n), necromancer (n), prestidigitator (n), sorcerer (n), wizard (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Sorcerer | Noun: sorcerer, magician; thaumaturgist, theurgist; conjuror, necromancer, seer, wizard, witch; hoodoo, voodoo; fairy; lamia, hag. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Magician |
| English words defined with "magician": A greegree man, amazed, Archimagus, astonied, astonished, astounded ♦ Cagliostro, Count Alessandro di Cagliostro ♦ enchanter, enchantress, Erik Weisz ♦ Giuseppe Balsamo, Gwydion ♦ Harry Houdini, Houdini ♦ Mage, Magic wand, magus, Merlin, mind reader ♦ stunned ♦ telepathist, Thaumaturge, thought-reader ♦ wand, witch. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "magician": Aladdin's Ring, Alpheus ♦ Bennaskar ♦ Elymas ♦ Fetiche ♦ Griffen Horse ♦ Hocus Pocus ♦ Ismeno ♦ Magic, Marphisa, Maugis ♦ Oril'o ♦ Rogero, ♦ Science Persecuted, Sylvester. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "magician": Druid. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Magician" is also a word in the following language with English translations in parentheses. Romanian (magician, sorcerer, wizard). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Be rary of wousing a rizard's wrath - rousing a rizard's - Be wary of making a magician angry (The Last Unicorn; writing credit: Peter S. Beagle) He was a very powerful magician, Dr. Venkman (Ghostbusters II; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis) There are three men before whome a woman need have no shame: her husband, her doctor and her magician. (Captain Sindbad; writing credit: Ian McLellan Hunter; Guy Endore) I can't keep these barges flying forever -- I'm a mechanic, not a magician. (The Blue Max; writing credit: Jack Hunter; Ben Barzman) I'm not a magician! Give me time (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; writing credit: Roald Dahl) | |
Lyrics | Like a nervous magician waiting in the wings (Run-Around; performing artist: Blues Traveler) Wond'rous apparition provided by magician. (LOOKIN' OUT MY BACK DOOR; performing artist: Creedence Clearwater Revival) Become a magician to abacadabra all the sadder (Ms. Jackson; performing artist: Outkast) So he asked the magician (Pretty and High; performing artist: The Roches) The magician arrived (Pretty and High; performing artist: The Roches) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Magician (1973) Hildur and the Magician (1969) Mandrake the Magician (1954) The Mad Magician (1954) | |
Song Titles | My Baby Must Be A Magician (performing artist: The Marvelettes) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | "Apparatus for cutting blubber." Inspiration for the tomato slicing kitchen magician. In: "An account of the Arctic regions with a history and description of the northern whale-fishery", by W. Scoresby. 1820. P. 588, Vol. II. Plate XXII. Library Call Number G742 .S42 1820 . Credit: Treasures of the Library. |  | Sub treasurers taking long steps, or The magician broke down. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | The little magician & the modern witch of Endor. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Magician. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | A magician has been doing stunts at the White House. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Howard Thurston, magician, with man who looks like him and two young women, performing magic trick. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Harry Houdini and Chinese magician Ching Ling Foo, full-length portrait, standing, Brighton Beach, New York. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Group of people watching magician, state fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Magician giving performance, state fair, Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Mandrake the magician. Lothar vanquishes Tula, the Hawk's knife-thrower. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Charles Dickens | Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. |
Ouida | Familiarity is a magician that is cruel to beauty but kind to ugliness. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Life, the Universe and Everything | Douglas Adams | A magician wandered along the beach, but no one needed him. |
King Richard III | Shakespeare, William | What black magician conjures up this fiend To stop devoted charitable deeds |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Magician" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 96.28% of the time. "Magician" is used about 242 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 Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 96.28% | 233 | 19,663 |
| Noun (proper) | 3.72% | 9 | 117,287 |
| Total | 100.00% | 242 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following table summarizes names derived from the word "magician". | |||
| Name | Gender | Language | Meaning |
| Elymas | N/A | Biblical | A magician |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references.
| |||
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "magician": magician-like. | |
Ending with "magician": frog-magician. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| 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. |
| Language | Translations for "magician"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | towenaar (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Albanian | magjistar (conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, fascinator, mage, magus, medicine man, sorcerer, thaumaturge, Warlock, wizard), prestigjiator (conjurer, conjuror, illusionist, prestidigitator), iluzionist (illusionist). (various references) | |
Arabic | من يقوم بالخدعة, حاوى, المشعوذ (charlatan, conjurer, magus, mountebank, operator, prestidigitator, sorcerer, voodoo, warlock), الساحر (charmer, conjurer, enchanter, sorcerer, voodoo, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | чародей (enchanter), фокусник (conjurer, illusionist, juggler, mugger, prestidigitator, thaumaturge, trickster, wizard), магьосник (mage, medicine man, necromancer, sorcerer, theurgist, voodoo, wise man, wiz, wizard), илюзионист (conjuror, illusionist, prestidigitator). (various references) | |
Chinese | ""師 , 摩术师 (Magicians), 妖人 (sorcerer). (various references) | |
Czech | kouzelník (conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, illusionist, mage, magus, medicine man, sorcerer, spellbinder, wise man, witchdoctor, wizard). (various references) | |
Dutch | goochelaar. (various references) | |
Esperanto | sorĉisto (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard), iluziisto. (various references) | |
Finnish | velho (sorcerer, sorceress, witch, wizard), taikuri (conjurer, sorcerer, wizard), poppamies (medicine-man), noita (sorcerer), loitsija (sorcerer). (various references) | |
French | magicien (magus). (various references) | |
Frisian | tsjoender (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
German | Zauberer (captivator, conjurer, enchanter, sorcerer, sorcerers, warlock, wizard, wizards). (various references) | |
Greek | μάγοσ (bewitcher, conjurer, conjuror, medicineman, sorcerer, wizard), ταχυδακτυλουργόσ (conjurer, juggler, legerdemainist, prestidigitator), θαυματοποιόσ (conjurer, illusionist). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מ' (magus), י"עו י (soothsayer, wizard), אשף (bat, enchanter, sorcerer, wizard), בעל אוב (necromaner, sorcerer), בעל כשפים. (various references) | |
Hungarian | varázsló (cole prophet, conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, medicine man, powwow, pow-wow, sorcerer, Warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Indonesian | tukang sulap (consurer), tukang sihir (witch, wizard). (various references) | |
Italian | mago (enchanter, magicians, sorcerer, whiz kid, wizard). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | ""師 (conjurer), "法使い (sorcerer, witch, wizard), マシン油 (barowner, machine oil, magic, magic glass, magic hand, magic ink marker, magic mirror, magic number, Magic Tape, magical, 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), 手"師 (juggler), 奇"師 (conjurer, juggler), 妖"者 (sorcerer, sorceress). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | マジシャン , きじゅつし (conjurer, descriptor, juggler), まほうつかい (sorcerer, witch, wizard), まじゅつし (conjurer), ようじゅつしゃ (sorcerer, sorceress), てじなし (juggler). (various references) | |
Korean | 마 사 (Conjurer, Magicians). (various references) | |
Manx | druaightagh (charmer, charming, druid, druidic, druidical, occult). (various references) | |
Norwegian | magiker, trollmann. (various references) | |
Papiamen | tovenar (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | agicianmay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | mágico (conjurer, fairy, mage, magic, magical, mystical, sorcerer, warlock, witching). (various references) | |
Romanian | magician (sorcerer, wizard), vrãjitor (charmer, conjuror, enchanter, magus, necromancer, powwow, sorcerer, wizard), iluzionist (conjuror, illusionist). (various references) | |
Russian | чародей (enchanter, fascinator, necromancer, sorcerer, wizard), фокусник (conjurer, conjuror, juggler, prestidigitatior, prestidigitator, wiz), колдун (exorcist, medicine man, necromancer, obeah man, sorcerer, warlock, witch-doctor, wizard), волшебник;фокусник, волшебник (charmer, conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, sorcerer, thaumaturge, warlock, wiz). (various references) | |
Scottish | druidh (a magician, druid). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | mag (mage), mađioničar (conjurer, magus), čarobnjak (enchanter, mage, sorcerer, sprite, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Spanish | mago (conjurer, conjuror, elf, magus, wizard). (various references) | |
Swahili | mchawi (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Swedish | trollkarl (conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, fascinator, illusionist, sorcerer, viz, Warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Thai | นักเล่นกล, ผู้มีเวทมนตร์ (necromancer), ผู้มีความสามารถพิเศษ. (various references) | |
Turkish | sihirbaz (charmer, conjurer, conjuror, illusionist, mage, sorcerer, Warlock, wise man, witch, wizard), síhírbaz (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard), büyücü (charmer, enchanter, necromancer, necromantic, sorcerer, Warlock, wise man, witch, wizard). (various references) | |
Turkmen | jadygця (wizard). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | чарівник (charmer, enchanter, necromancer, sorcerer, Warlock, wizard), чаклун (charmer, conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, hoodoo, magus, necromancer, voodoo, weird), фокусник (conjurer, conjuror, enchanter, prestidigitator, sorcerer, wizard). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | thuật sĩ, thầy phù thuỷ (exorcist, medicine-man, sorcerer), pháp sư. (various references) | |
Welsh | swynwr (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard), dewin (augur, diviner, enchanter, mage, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
Yucatec | waay (enchanter, sorcerer, warlock, wizard). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Akkadian | 3000 BCE-Modern | asipu. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | incantator, incantatores, incantatori, incantatoribus, incantatorum, magi, magis, magisque, mago, magos, magum, magus, malefici, maleficis, maleficos. (various references) |
| Irish | 1000-Modern | drui. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | Daniel Chapter 2, Verse 10 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai apekriqhsan oi caldaioi epi tou basilewV oti oudeiV twn epi thV ghV dunhsetai eipein tw basilei o ewrake kaqaper su erwtaV kai paV basileuV kai paV dunasthV toiouto pragma ouk eperwta panta sofon kai magon kai caldaion |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Respondentes ergo Chaldei coram rege dixerunt non est homo super terram qui sermonem tuum rex possit implere sed neque regum quisquam magnus et potens verbum huiuscemodi sciscitatur ab omni ariolo et mago et Chaldeo |
| Middle English | 1395 | Wyclif | Therfore the Caldeis answeryng byfore the kyng, saiden, Kyng, ther is no man vpon erthe, that may fulfille thi word; bot nether eny grete of kyngus and miyti axith siche manere word of eche dyuynour, and witche, and Caldey. |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that hath asked such things of any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in answer, There is not a man on earth able to make clear the king's business; for no king, however great his power, has ever made such a request to any wonder-worker or user of secret arts or Chaldaean. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Daniel Chapter 2, Verse 10 |
| Cebuano | Ang mga Caldeahanon nanubag sa atubangan sa hari, ug ming-ingon: Walay bisan usa ka tawo sa ibabaw sa yuta nga makapahayag niining butanga sa hari; kay, sanglit walay hari, ni agalon, ni punoan, nga nangutana nianang butanga sa mga mago, kun encantador kun Caldeahanon. |
| Croatian | Zvjezdari odgovoriše pred kraljem: "Nema na svijetu èovjeka koji bi takvo što mogao otkriti kralju. I stoga nijedan kralj, ma kako velik i moæan, takvo što ne traži od èarobnika, gataoca ili zvjezdara. |
| Danish | Kaldæerne svarede Kongen: "Der findes ikke et Menneske på Jorden, som kan sige, hvad Kongen ønsker at vide; aldrig har jo heller nogen Konge, hvor stor og tnægtig han end var, krævet sligt af nogen Drømmetyder, Maner eller Kaldæer; |
| Dutch | De Chaldeen antwoordden voor den koning, en zeiden: Er is geen mens op den aardbodem, die des konings woord zou kunnen te kennen geven; daarom is er geen koning, grote of heerser, die zulk een zaak begeerd heeft van enigen tovenaar, of sterrekijker, of Chaldeer. |
| Finnish | Kaldealaiset vastasivat kuninkaan edessä ja sanoivat: "Ei ole maan päällä ihmistä, joka kykenisi selittämään sen, mitä kuningas sanoi. Eikä yksikään suuri ja voimallinen kuningas ole koskaan vaatinut tämänkaltaista asiaa keneltäkään tietäjältä, noidalta tai kaldealaiselta. |
| French | Les Chaldéens répondirent au roi: Il n`est personne sur la terre qui puisse dire ce que demande le roi; aussi jamais roi, quelque grand et puissant qu`il ait été, n`a exigé une pareille chose d`aucun magicien, astrologue ou Chaldéen. |
| German | Da antworteten die Chaldäer vor dem König und sprachen zu ihm: Es ist kein Mensch auf Erden, der sagen könne, was der König fordert. So ist auch kein König, wie groß oder mächtig er sei, der solches von irgend einem Sternseher, Weisen oder Chaldäer fordere. |
| Haitian Creole | Nèg save yo reponn wa a, yo di l' konsa: -Pa gen pesonn sou tout latè ki ka fè wa a konnen sa l'ap mande la a. Se poutèt sa, pa janm gen wa, li te mèt gran kou l' gran, li te mèt gen pouvwa pase sa n' pa konnen, ki ka mande yon majisyen, yon moun ki li zetwal osinon yon nèg save bagay konsa. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Para ahli itu menjawab, "Di seluruh dunia tidak ada seorang pun yang dapat memberitahukan apa yang Tuanku kehendaki itu. Dan belum pernah seorang raja, betapa pun besar dan mulianya, menuntut hal seperti itu dari para peramal, ahli jampi, dan orang-orang berilmu di istananya. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka sahut orang Kasdim itu di hadapan hadirat baginda, sembahnya: Bahwa di atas seluruh muka bumi seorangpun tiada yang dapat memaklumkan perkara yang tuanku titahkan; maka sebab itu tiada pernah seorang raja, jikalau besar dan berkuasa sekalipun, yang menitahkan perkara sebagainya kepada barang seorang sastrawan atau ahlulnujum atau Kasdim. |
| Italian | I caldei risposero davanti al re: «Non c'è nessuno al mondo che possa soddisfare la richiesta del re: difatti nessun re, per quanto potente e grande, ha mai domandato una cosa simile ad un mago, indovino o caldeo. |
| Maori | Na ka whakahoki nga Karari ki te aroaro o te kingi, ka mea, Kahore he tangata i runga i te whenua hei whakaatu i te mea a te kingi: kahore ano hoki he kingi, kahore he rangatira, kahore he ariki, i ui i nga mea penei ki tetahi tohunga maori, ki tetahi kaititiro whetu, ki tetahi Karari ranei. |
| Norwegian | Kaldeerne svarte kongen: Det er ikke et menneske på jorden som kan kunngjøre kongen det han vil vite; for ingen konge, hvor stor og mektig han var, har nogensinne krevd noget sådant av nogen tegnsutlegger eller åndemaner eller kaldeer. |
| Portuguese | Responderam os caldeus na presença do rei, e disseram: Não há ninguém sobre a terra que possa cumprir a palavra do rei; pois nenhum rei, por grande e poderoso que fosse, tem exigido coisa semelhante de algum mago ou encantador, ou caldeu. |
| Rumanian | Haldeii au rqspuns kmpqratului: ,,Nu este nimeni pe pqmknt, care sq poatq spune ce cere kmpqratul; deaceea niciodatq niciun kmpqrat, orickt de mare wi puternic ar fi fost, n`a cerut awa ceva dela niciun vrqjitor, cititor kn stele sau Haldeu! |
| Russian | иБМ"ЕЙ ПФЧЕЮБМЙ "БТА Й УЛБЪБМЙ: ОЕФ ОБ ЪЕНМЕ ЮЕМПЧЕЛБ, ЛПФПТЩК НПЗ 'Щ ПФЛТЩФШ ЬФП "ЕМП "БТА, Й ПФПНХ ОЙ П"ЙО "БТШ, ЧЕМЙЛЙК Й НПЗХЭЕУФЧЕООЩК, ОЕ ФТЕ'ПЧБМ П"П'ОПЗП ОЙ ПФ ЛБЛПЗП ФБКОПЧЕ""Б, ЗБ"БФЕМС Й иБМ"ЕС. |
| Spanish | Los caldeos respondieron delante del rey: --No hay hombre sobre la tierra que pueda declarar el asunto del rey, porque ningún rey grande y poderoso ha pedido cosa semejante a ningún mago ni encantador ni caldeo. |
| Swedish | Då svarade kaldéerna konungen och sade: "Det finnes ingen människa på jorden, som förmår meddela konungen det som han vill veta; aldrig har ju heller någon konung, huru stor och mäktig han än var, begärt sådant som detta av någon spåman eller besvärjare eller kaldé. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "magician": magicians. (additional references) | |
| |
"Magician" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: apician, Bagdikian, bajocian, hagopian, magiced, magichian, magicial, magicienne, Maguina, mairian, majician, Malgosia, malgosian, mangurian, manician, matician, maximian, medicean, medician, Melikyan, muricina. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "magician" (pronounced muji"shun) |
| 5 | -j i" sh u n | logician. |
| 4 | -i" sh u n | fission, academician, abolition, acquisition, addition, admission, admonition, ambition, ammunition, apparition, attrition, audition, clinician, coalition, cognition, commission, competition, composition, condition, contrition, decommission, decomposition, definition, demolition, dentition, deposition, dietitian, disposition, edition, electrician, emission, erudition, exhibition, expedition, exposition, extradition, fruition, geriatrician, ignition, imposition, inhibition, inquisition, intermission, intuition, juxtaposition, malnutrition, mathematician, mission, mortician, munition, musician, nutrition, obstetrician, omission, opposition, optician, partition, patrician, pediatrician, permission, petition, physician, politician, position, precondition, predisposition, preignition, premonition, presupposition, prohibition, proposition, recognition, recondition, redefinition, reimposition, remission, rendition, repetition, reposition, requisition, retransmission, rhetorician, sedition, statistician, submission, superstition, supposition, suspicion, tactician, technician, theoretician, titian, tradition, transition, transmission, tuition, volition. |
| 3 | -sh u n | facilitation, faction, falsification, fascination, fashion, federation, fermentation, fertilization, fibrillation, fiction, figuration, filtration, abrogation, absolution, absorption, abstraction, acceleration, accession, acclimation, accommodation, abbreviation, abdication, abduction, aberration, abomination, abortion, accreditation, accretion, accumulation, accusation, acidification, action, activation, adaptation, addiction, adjudication, administration, admiration, adoption, adoration, adulation, advection, advocation, affectation, affection, affiliation, affirmation, affliction, agglomeration, aggravation, aggression, agitation, alienation, allegation, alleviation, alliteration, allocation, alphabetization, alteration, altercation, alternation, amalgamation, amelioration, amortization, amplification, amputation, animation, annexation, annihilation, annotation, antiabortion, anticipation, anticorruption, antidiscrimination, appellation, application, apportion, appreciation, apprehension, approbation, appropriation, approximation, arbitration, argumentation, articulation, ascension, ashen, aspiration, assassination, assertion, assimilation, association, assumption, attention, attraction, attribution, auction, augmentation, authentication, authorization, automation, aviation, avocation, balkanization, beautician, benediction, bifurcation, brutalization, calculation, calibration, cancellation, cannibalization, capitalization, capitulation, caption, carburetion, carnation, castration, categorization, causation, caution, celebration, centralization, certification, cessation, cetacean, characterization, circulation, circumspection, citation, civilization, clarification, classification, coagulation, codification, coercion, cogeneration, cogitation, cohabitation, collaboration, collection, collectivization, colonization, coloration, colorization, combination, commemoration, commendation, commercialization, commotion, communication, communization, compassion, compensation, compilation, completion, complexion, complication, comprehension, compression, compulsion, compunction, computation, computerization, concatenation, concentration, conception, conceptualization, concession, conciliation, concoction, concussion, condemnation, condensation, condescension, conduction, confabulation, confection, confederation, confession, configuration, confirmation, confiscation, conflagration, confrontation, conglomeration, congratulation, congregation, conjugation, conjunction, connection, conniption, connotation, conscription, consecration, conservation, consideration, consolation, consolidation, constellation, consternation, constipation, constitution, constriction, construction, consultation, consummation, consumption, contamination, contemplation, contention, continuation, contortion, contraception, contraction, contradiction, contraption, contribution, convection, convention, conversation, conviction, convocation, convolution, convulsion, cooperation, coordination, coronation, corporation, correction, correlation, corroboration, corruption, counterrevolution, creation, cremation, criminalization, crucifixion, crustacean, culmination, cultivation, cushion, dalmatian, damnation, decaffeination, decapitation, deceleration, decentralization, deception, decertification, decimation, declaration, decompression, deconstruction, decontamination, decoration, decriminalization, dedication, deduction, defamation, defection, deflation, deforestation, deformation, degeneration, degradation, dehumanization, dehydration, deification, deinstitutionalization, delegation, deletion, deliberation, delineation, demarcation, demilitarization, demobilization, democratization, demodulation, demonization, demonstration, demoralization, demotion, denationalization, denomination, denuclearization, denunciation, depiction, depletion, depopulation, deportation, depravation, depreciation, depredation, depression, deprivation, deregulation, dereliction, derivation, desalination, desalinization, description, desecration, desegregation, desertion, desiccation, designation, desolation, desperation, destabilization, destination, destitution, destruction, detection, detention, deterioration, determination, detonation, detoxication, detoxification, devaluation, devastation, deviation, devolution, devotion, dictation, diction, differentiation, diffraction, digression, dilatation, dilation, dilution, dimension, diminution, direction, disaffection, discoloration, disconnection, discontinuation, discretion, discrimination, discussion, disembarkation, disinclination, disinfection, disinflation, disinformation, disintegration, dislocation, disorganization, disorientation, dispensation, disputation, disqualification, disruption, dissatisfaction, dissection, dissemination, dissension, dissertation, dissipation, dissociation, dissolution, distillation, distinction, distortion, distraction, distribution, diversification, divination, documentation, domestication, domination, donation, dramatization, duplication, duration, dysfunction, echolocation, edification, education, egyptian, ejaculation, ejection, elaboration, elation, election, electrification, electrocution, elevation, elimination, elocution, elongation, emanation, emancipation, embarkation, emigration, emotion, emulation, emulsion, encryption, enumeration, equalization, equitation, equivocation, eradication, erection, eruption, escalation, estimation, evacuation, evaluation, evaporation, eviction, evocation, evolution, exacerbation, exaction, exaggeration, examination, exasperation, excavation, exception, excitation, exclamation, excommunication, excoriation, excretion, execution, exemption, exertion, exfoliation, exhalation, exhilaration, exhortation, exhumation, exoneration, expansion, expatriation, expectation, experimentation, expiration, explanation, explication, exploitation, exploration, expression, expropriation, expulsion, extension, extermination, extinction, extortion, extraction, extrapolation, fabrication, fixation, flexion, flirtation, flotation, fluctuation, fluoridation, foliation, formalization, formation, formulation, fortification, foundation, fraction, fragmentation, freshen, friction, frustration, fumigation, function, gasification, gastrulation, generalization, generation, gentian, gentrification, germination, gestation, glaciation, globalization, glorification, gradation, graduation, granulation, gratification, gravitation, gumption, gyration, habitation, hallucination, harmonization, hesitation, hessian, hibernation, homogenization, hospitalization, humiliation, hybridization, hydration, hydrogenation, hyperinflation, hypertension, hypotension, identification, illumination, illustration, imagination, imitation, immigration, immunization, impassion, imperfection, impersonation, implantation, implementation, implication, importation, impregnation, impression, improvisation, imputation, inaction, inactivation, inauguration, incantation, incapacitation, incarceration, incarnation, inception, incineration, inclination, incoordination, incorporation, incrimination, incrustation, incubation, indemnification, indentation, indexation, indication, indignation, indiscretion, indoctrination, induction, industrialization, infarction, infatuation, infection, infestation, infiltration, inflammation, inflation, inflection, infliction, information, infraction, inhabitation, inhalation, initiation, injection, injunction, innovation, inoculation, inscription, insemination, insertion, insinuation, inspection, inspiration, installation, instigation, institution, institutionalization, instruction, instrumentation, insubordination, insulation, insurrection, integration, intensification, interaction, interception, intercession, interconnection, interdiction, interjection, internationalization, interpretation, interrogation, interruption, intersection, intimation, intimidation, intonation, intoxication, introduction, introspection, inundation, invalidation, invention, investigation, invitation, invocation, ionization, irradiation, irrigation, irritation, isolation, jubilation, junction, jurisdiction, justification, laceration, lactation, legalization, legislation, levitation, liberalization, liberation, libration, ligation, lilliputian, limitation, liposuction, liquefaction, liquidation, litigation, localization, location, locomotion, lotion, lubrication, machination, magnetization, magnification, malformation, malfunction, manifestation, manipulation, mansion, marginalization, martian, masturbation, maturation, maximization, mechanization, mediation, medication, meditation, menstruation, mention, midsection, migration, mineralization, miniaturization, ministration, misallocation, misapplication, misapprehension, misappropriation, miscalculation, mischaracterization, miscommunication, misconception, miscreation, misidentification, misimpression, misinformation, misinterpretation, misperception, misrepresentation, mitigation, mobilization, moderation, modernization, modification, modulation, molestation, monopolization, motion, motivation, multiplication, mummification, mutation, mutilation, narration, nation, nationalization, naturalization, navigation, negation, negotiation, neutralization, nitration, nomination, nonaggression, nondiscrimination, nonfiction, nonprescription, nonproliferation, normalization, notation, notification, notion, nucleation, nullification, obfuscation, objection, obligation, observation, obsession, obstruction, occupation, ocean, operation, oppression, optimization, option, oration, orchestration, ordination, organisation, organization, orientation, origination, ornamentation, oscillation, ossification, ostentation, ovation, overconsumption, overexpansion, overpopulation, overproduction, overprotection, overreaction, overregulation, oversimplification, overvaluation, ovulation, oxidation, pacification, pagination, palpitation, participation, passion, pasteurization, penetration, pension, perception, percussion, perfection, perforation, permutation, perpetuation, persecution, personalization, personification, perspiration, perturbation, pigmentation, plantation, polarization, politicization, pollination, pollution, pontification, popularization, population, portion, possession, potion, precaution, precession, precipitation, preconception, predestination, prediction, predilection, preelection, preemption, prefabrication, premeditation, preoccupation, preparation, prescription, presentation, preservation, pressurization, presumption, pretension, prevention, privation, privatization, probation, procession, proclamation, procrastination, procreation, production, profanation, profession, prognostication, progression, projection, proliferation, promotion, pronunciation, propagation, proportion, propulsion, proration, proscription, prosecution, prostitution, prostration, protection, protestation, provocation, publication, punctuation, purification, qualification, quantification, quotation, radiation, radicalization, ramification, ratification, ration, rationalization, reaction, reaffirmation, realization, reallocation, reassertion, reauthorization, recalculation, recantation, recapitalization, reception, recertification, recession, recitation, reclamation, reclassification, recollection, recommendation, reconciliation, reconfiguration, reconfirmation, reconsideration, reconstruction, recreation, recrimination, rectification, recuperation, redecoration, rededication, redemption, redirection, redistribution, reduction, reeducation, reelection, reevaluation, reexamination, reflation, reflection, reforestation, reformation, refrigeration, refutation, regeneration, regimentation, registration, regression, regulation, rehabilitation, rehydration, reincarnation, reincorporation, reinspection, reintegration, reinterpretation, reintroduction, reinvention, reinvigoration, reiteration, rejection, rejuvenation, relation, relaxation, relocation, remediation, remuneration, renationalization, renegotiation, renomination, renovation, renunciation, reorganization, reparation, repatriation, repercussion, replication, repossession, representation, repression, reproduction, repudiation, reputation, reregulation, reservation, resignation, resolution, respiration, restitution, restoration, restriction, resumption, resurrection, resuscitation, retaliation, retardation, retention, retraction, retribution, reunification, revaluation, revelation, reverberation, revitalization, revocation, revolution, revulsion, rotation, rumination, salvation, sanctification, sanction, sanitation, saponification, satisfaction, saturation, secession, secretion, section, securitization, sedation, sedimentation, seduction, segmentation, segregation, selection, sensation, separation, sequestration, session, simplification, simulation, situation, socialization, solicitation, solution, sophistication, specialization, specification, speculation, stabilization, stagflation, stagnation, standardization, starvation, station, sterilization, stimulation, stipulation, strangulation, subluxation, subordination, subscription, subsection, subsidization, substantiation, substation, substitution, subtraction, suburbanization, succession, suction, suffocation, summation, superstation, suppression, suspension, syncopation, syndication, tabulation, taxation, telecommunication, temptation, tension, termination, titillation, toleration, traction, transaction, transcription, transection, transformation, transgression, transillumination, translation, transplantation, transportation, trepidation, triangulation, tribulation, undervaluation, unification, unionization, urbanization, usurpation, utilization, vacation, vaccination, vacillation, validation, valuation, vaporization, variation, vegetation, venetian, ventilation, verification, vibration, victimization, vilification, vindication, violation, visitation, visualization, vocation, vulgarization, westernization, workstation. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-c-g-i-i-m-n" | |
-2 letters: agamic, aiming, aminic, caiman, macing, magian, maniac. | |
-3 letters: acing, acini, again, amain, amici, amiga, amnia, amnic, anima, animi, gamic, gamin, icing, magic, mania, manic. | |
-4 letters: agin, agma, amia, amin, anga, cain, gain, gama, inia, magi, main, mana, mica, mina, mini. | |
-5 letters: aga, aim, ain, ama, ami, ana, ani, cam, can, cig, gam, gan, gin. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-c-g-i-i-m-n" | |
+1 letter: magicians. | |
+2 letters: acclaiming, calamining, emaciating, magnifical, magnificat. | |
+3 letters: acclimating, campaigning, chairmaning, chimichanga, diamagnetic, enigmatical, machinating, magnificats, masticating. | |
+4 letters: anastigmatic, antidogmatic, antimagnetic, blackmailing, calumniating, caramelising, caramelizing, chairmanning, chimichangas, emancipating, macadamizing, magnifically, malignancies, misbalancing, mispackaging. | |
+5 letters: acclimatising, acclimatizing, achromatizing, cabinetmaking, contaminating, enigmatically, magnification, matriculating, micromanaging, mineralogical, misallocating, miscataloging. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Names: Derived from 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Bible Trace | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
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