Lore Lucid Lexicon magic
late 14c., magike, "art of influencing or predicting events and producing marvels using hidden natural forces," also "supernatural art," especially the art of controlling the actions of spiritual or superhuman beings
from Old French magique "magic; magical"
from Late Latin magice "sorcery, magic"
from Greek magike (presumably with tekhnē "art")
from PIE root *magh- "to be able, have power"
It displaced Old English wiccecræft; also drycræft, from dry "magician," from Irish drui "priest, magician"
The transferred sense of "legerdemain, optical illusion, etc." is from 1811.
legerdemain noun "conjuring tricks, sleight of hand"
from Old French léger de main "quick of hand," literally "light of hand"
Natural magic in the Middle Ages was that which did not involve the agency of personal spirits; it was considered more or less legitimate, not sinful, and involved much that would be explained scientifically as the manipulation of natural forces.
"A romantic could also be an invasive enchanter, so a witting or unwitting practitioner of dark magic. The idea such a romantic holds may be beautiful, which could make it seem like it’s worth pursuing at any cost. If the cost is deception, then that romantic has become a liar."
"Originals"
In the early 19th century, the term magic was obfuscated by diluting associations with what is actually called legerdemain.
"Magic is sometimes divided into the "high" magic of the intellectual elite, bordering on science, and the "low" magic of common folk practices. A distinction is also made between "black" magic, used for nefarious purposes, and "white" magic, ostensibly used for beneficial purposes. Although these boundaries are often unclear, magical practices have a sense of "otherness" because of the supernatural power that is believed to be channeled through the practitioner, who is a marginalized or stigmatized figure in some societies and a central one in others."
"Encyclopædia Britannica"
| ~☉~ | lucid definition; added layer of lucidity, or aethereal context |
| ⚜ | classic definition |
| ☣ | artificium definition; usually words which have undergone a warped evolution, or a complete perversion of the original sense |
