Magic

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

There are many definitions of the word Magic, but in popularist terms it refers to the use of rites, charms, spells, incantations, enchantments etc so as to have an affect over people, animals, places, natural forces, and so forth, implying a control over one's fate (compare with sorcery). The word magic comes from the Middle English magique, and ultimately derives from Magus. In the Hellenistic period, Greek μάγος (magos) could be used as an adjective, but an adjective μαγικός (magikos, Latin magicus) is also attested from the 1st century (Plutarchus), typically appearing in the feminine, in μαγική τέχνη (magike techne, Latin ars magica) "magical art." The word entered the English language in the late 14th century from Old French magique.