Meanings
plural necromancies · alternative necyomancy · alternative egromancy
- countableuncountableDivination involving the dead or death.
1867 E. Rogers, quoted in K. Thomas Relig. & Decline of Magic the Devil did often tempt me to study necromancy and nigromancy and to make use of magic, and to make a league with him...
3 more examples
And for to make this treatise the more pleasaunt and facill, I have put it in forme of a Dialogue, which I have diuided into three bookes: The first speaking of Magie in general, and Necromancie in special.
1597, King James Daemonologie, (Please provide the book title or journal name)And in one word for all, Nagomancy, or Necromancy; by inspecting, consulting, and divining by, with, or from the dead.
1652, Gaule The Magastromancer, (Please provide the book title or journal name)There is no doubt..that necromancy is the touch-stone of occultism...
1920, L. Spence, Encyc. Occult - countableuncountableLoosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of necroposting.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekνεκρομαντεία
- Latinnecromantia
- Medieval Latinnigromantia
- Old Frenchnigromancie
- Middle Englishnigromancye
- Englishnecromancy
Circa 1300, from Middle English nigromancye, from Old French nigromancie, from Medieval Latin nigromantia, from Latin necromantia, from Ancient Greek νεκρομαντεία (nekromanteía), νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + μαντεία (manteía, “divination”). Medieval Latin spelling, incorporating niger (“black”), influenced by the notion of black art. Modern spelling adopted in mid-1500s. By surface analysis, necro- + -mancy.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic نِكْرُومَانْسِيَّة
- نِكْرُومَانْسِيَّة (nikrūmānsiyya)divination involving the dead
Basque nekromantzia
- nekromantziadivination involving the dead
Bulgarian некромантия
- некромантия (nekromantija)divination involving the dead
Catalan nigromància
- nigromànciadivination involving the dead
Chinese Mandarin 招魂術 /招魂术, 死靈術 /死灵术
- 招魂術 /招魂术 (zhāohúnshù)divination involving the dead
- 死靈術 /死灵术divination involving the dead
Czech nekromancie
- nekromanciedivination involving the dead
Danish nekromanti
- nekromantidivination involving the dead
Dutch dodenbezwering
- dodenbezweringdivination involving the dead
Esperanto nekromancio
- nekromanciodivination involving the dead
Finnish nekromantia
- nekromantiadivination involving the dead
French nécromancie
- nécromanciedivination involving the dead
German Totenbeschwörung, Nekromantie
- Totenbeschwörungdivination involving the dead
- Nekromantiedivination involving the dead
- Totenorakeldivination involving the dead
Greek νεκρομαντεία
- νεκρομαντεία (nekromanteía)divination involving the dead
Hebrew אוֹב
- אוֹב (ov)divination involving the dead
Hungarian nekromanta
- nekromantadivination involving the dead
Icelandic andasæring
- andasæringdivination involving the dead
Indonesian nekromansi
- nekromansidivination involving the dead
Irish marbhdhraíocht
- marbhdhraíochtdivination involving the dead
Italian negromanzia
- negromanziadivination involving the dead
Japanese ネクロマンシー
- ネクロマンシー (nekuromanshī)divination involving the dead
Korean 강령술
- 강령술 (gangnyeongsul)divination involving the dead
Latin nigromantia, necromantia
- nigromantiadivination involving the dead
- necromantiadivination involving the dead
Latvian nekromantika
- nekromantikadivination involving the dead
Polish nekromancja
- nekromancjadivination involving the dead
Portuguese necromancia, nigromancia
- necromanciadivination involving the dead
- nigromanciadivination involving the dead
Romanian necromanția
- necromanțiadivination involving the dead
Russian некрома́нтия
- некрома́нтия (nekromántija)divination involving the dead
Slovak nekromancia
- nekromanciadivination involving the dead
Spanish nigromancia, necromancia
- nigromanciadivination involving the dead
- necromanciadivination involving the dead
- necromancíadivination involving the dead
- nigromancíadivination involving the dead
Swedish nekromanti
- nekromantidivination involving the dead
Tagalog nekromansya
- nekromansyadivination involving the dead
Turkish nekromansi
- nekromansidivination involving the dead
Ukrainian некрома́нтія
- некрома́нтія (nekromántija)divination involving the dead
Cite this entry
necromancy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necromancy
“necromancy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necromancy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “necromancy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necromancy.
Source: necromancy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.