Etymology

sorcery

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Today it means: Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts. Full definition →

Middle English sorcery ← Middle French sorcerie ← Latin sors
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ser-“to bind”
  2. Latin · derived fromsors“fate”
  3. Middle French · derived fromsorcerie
  4. Middle English · inherited fromsorcery
  5. English todaysorcery

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.

Words from the same roots

Latinsors all →

ensorcell

Proto-Indo-European*ser- all →

seriesinsertheroobserveconciergeHermessorcererSerbheresyberserksarksortieberserkerHeratdiaeresissereseracensorcellirenic

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.