sorcery
English
Etymology
From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō. Compare also French sorcier.
Pronunciation
- (General American) enPR: sôr'sərē, IPA(key): /ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɔː.sə.ɹi/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
sorcery (countable and uncountable, plural sorceries)
- Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
Synonyms
- black magic
- hexcraft
- magic
- spellcasting
- spellcraft
- warlockry
- witchcraft
- wizardcraft
- wizardry
Related terms
- sorcerer
- sorceress
- sort
Translations
magical power
|
See also
- Sorcery in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
Middle English
Alternative forms
- sorcerye, sorcerie, sorcere, socerry, soserye, socerye
Etymology
From Middle French sorcerie, from Old French sorcerie.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sɔrsəˈriː(ə)/, /sɔrsəˈreː(ə)/
- (with /rs/→/s/) IPA(key): /sɔsəˈriː(ə)/, /sɔsəˈreː(ə)/
Noun
sorcery (plural sorceries)
- sorcery, wizardry, magic
- A supernatural event
Related terms
- sorcerere
- sorceresse
Descendants
- English: sorcery
- Scots: sorcery
References
- “sorcerī(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-11.