Necromancy
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Divination involving the dead or death. countable, uncountable
"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."
- 2 conjuring up the dead, especially for prophesying wordnet
- 3 Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead. countable, uncountable
- 4 the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world wordnet
- 5 Synonym of necroposting. Internet, countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Since necromancy hasn't been outlawed yet, Tom and his friends are going on a trip to the graveyard."
Etymology
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.
Related phrases
More for "necromancy"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.