Meanings
plural sorceries
- countableuncountableMagical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
The tale is full of magic and sorcery.
1 more example
In the Middle Ages, people were often accused of practicing sorcery.
Synonyms: warlockry, witchery, wizardry, bewitchery, black arts, charmwork, conjuration, conjuring
- countableuncountableBlack magic.
Synonyms: black art, cacomagic, dark magic, black magic, cacomagic, dark magic, goety, witchcraft
Synonyms & antonyms
nounMagical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts.
nounBlack magic.
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
- Proto-Indo-European*ser-“to bind”
- Latinsors“fate”
- Middle Frenchsorcerie
- Middle Englishsorcery
- Englishsorcery
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.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μαγεία, γοητεία
- μαγεία (mageía)magical power
- γοητεία (goēteía)magical power
Arabic سِحْر
- سِحْر (siḥr)magical power
Bulgarian вълшебство, магьосничество
- вълшебство (vălšebstvo)magical power
- магьосничество (magjosničestvo)magical power
Catalan fetilleria
- fetilleriamagical power
Chinese Mandarin 妖術 /妖术, 巫術 /巫术
- 妖術 /妖术 (yāoshù)magical power
- 巫術 /巫术 (wūshù)magical power
- 魔術 /魔术 (móshù)magical power
- 魔法 (mófǎ)magical power
- 魔力 (mólì)magical power
Danish trolddom, hekseri
- trolddommagical power
- hekserimagical power
- magimagical power
- heksekunstmagical power
Dutch tovenarij, hekserij
- tovenarijmagical power
- hekserijmagical power
- wichelarijmagical power
Esperanto sorĉado
- sorĉadomagical power
Finnish noituus, noitavoima
- noituusmagical power
- noitavoimamagical power
French sorcellerie
- sorcelleriemagical power
German Zauberei, Hexerei
- Zaubereimagical power
- Hexereimagical power
Hindi माया
- माया (māyā)magical power
Hungarian varázslás, mágia
- varázslásmagical power
- mágiamagical power
- kuruzslásmagical power
Irish draíocht, asarlaíocht
- draíochtmagical power
- asarlaíochtmagical power
Italian stregoneria
- stregoneriamagical power
Japanese 魔術, 巫術
- 魔術 (majutsu)magical power
- 巫術 (fujutsu)magical power
- 魔法 (mahō)magical power
Korean 마법, 요술
- 마법 (mabeop)magical power
- 요술 (yosul)magical power
Latin magia, veneficium
- magiamagical power
- veneficiummagical power
- magicemagical power
- artes magicaemagical power
- artes magaemagical power
- maleficiummagical power
Māori mākutu, whaiwhaiā
- mākutumagical power
- whaiwhaiāmagical power
Norwegian trolldom
- trolldommagical power
Persian جادو, فرهست
- جادو (jâdu)magical power
- فرهست (farhast)magical power
Polish czary, czarnoksięstwo
- czarymagical power
- czarnoksięstwomagical power
- czarna magiamagical power
- magiamagical power
Portuguese feitiçaria, bruxaria
- feitiçariamagical power
- bruxariamagical power
- bruxedomagical power
- magiamagical power
- mágicamagical power
Russian колдовство́, волшебство́
- колдовство́ (koldovstvó)magical power
- волшебство́ (volšebstvó)magical power
- ча́ры (čáry)magical power
- ма́гия (mágija)magical power
- ворожба́ (vorožbá)magical power
- чароде́йство (čarodéjstvo)magical power
Spanish brujería, magia
- brujeríamagical power
- magiamagical power
Swedish trolldom
- trolldommagical power
Turkish büyü, yada
- büyümagical power
- yadamagical power
- efsunmagical power
- sihirmagical power
Vietnamese yêu thuật, ma thuật
- yêu thuậtmagical power
- ma thuậtmagical power
Welsh dewiniaeth
- dewiniaethmagical power
Cite this entry
sorcery. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcery
“sorcery.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcery. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sorcery,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcery.
Source: sorcery on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.