English
magic
Magic comes from Old French magique, from Latin magicus, from Greek Ī¼Ī±Ī³Ī¹ĪŗĻĻ āmagicalā, from Ī¼Ī¬Ī³ĪæĻ āmagusā, ultimately from Old Persian maguÅ” āMazdean priestā.
- Old Persianc. 600ā300 BCEš¶š¦š1āMazdean priestā
- Ancient Greekc. 800ā300 BCEĪ¼Ī¬Ī³ĪæĻ1mĆ”gosāmagician, magusā
- Ancient Greekc. 800ā300 BCEĪ¼Ī±Ī³Ī¹ĪŗĻĻ1magikĆ³sāmagicalā
- Latinc. 75 BCEā200 CEmagicus1āmagic, magicalā
- Old Frenchc. 842ā1400magique1
- Middle Englishc. 1150ā1500magik1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1489magic1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English magic
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionaryās entry: c. 1489, Foure Sonnes of Aymon: āAnd whan he shall be arrayed as I telleā¦ā.
Lineage
- Old Persianc. 600ā300 BCEš¶š¦šWiktionary, English magicāMazdean priestā
- Ancient Greekc. 800ā300 BCEĪ¼Ī¬Ī³ĪæĻWiktionary, English magicmĆ”gosāmagician, magusā
- Ancient Greekc. 800ā300 BCEĪ¼Ī±Ī³Ī¹ĪŗĻĻWiktionary, English magicmagikĆ³sāmagicalā
- Latinc. 75 BCEā200 CEmagicusWiktionary, English magicāmagic, magicalā
- Old Frenchc. 842ā1400magiqueWiktionary, English magic
- Middle Englishc. 1150ā1500magikWiktionary, English magic
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1489magicWiktionary, English magic. Earliest quotation in Wiktionaryās entry: c. 1489, Foure Sonnes of Aymon: āAnd whan he shall be arrayed as I telleā¦ā
The story
Ultimately from Old Iranian, probably derived from Proto-Indo-European *mehāgŹ°- (āto be able to, to help; power, sorcererā).
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with magic, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
2 more relatives in the full family tree
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Today it means
noun The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, āmagicā. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Old Persian š¶š¦š / magic