Magus
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A magician; (derogatory) a conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster.
"In the middle of the fifth century, Empedocles testified to the vitality of these maguses, who were capable of commanding the winds and of bringing the dead back from Hades and who presented themselves, not as mortals, but as gods."
- 2 a member of the Zoroastrian priesthood of the ancient Persians wordnet
- 3 A Zoroastrian priest.
"Court astrologers, who were drawn from the race of the Magi, were among those that formed the royal court [...]"
- 4 a magician or sorcerer of ancient times wordnet
Example
More examples"In the middle of the fifth century, Empedocles testified to the vitality of these maguses, who were capable of commanding the winds and of bringing the dead back from Hades and who presented themselves, not as mortals, but as gods."
Etymology
From Latin magus, from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος for details). Doublet of mage.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.