Theurgy
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A form of magic designed to allow for worship or conjuration of, or communication with spirits or deities. countable, uncountable
"And from this he concludes that theurgy is a craft which accomplishes not only good but evil among gods and men; and that the gods also have passions, and are perturbed and agitated by the emotions which Apuleius attributed to demons and men, but from which he preserved the gods by that sublimity of residence, which, in common with Plato, he accorded to them."
- 2 white magic performed with the help of beneficent spirits (as formerly practiced by Neoplatonists) wordnet
- 3 A supernatural intervention in human affairs. countable, uncountable
- 4 the effect of supernatural or divine intervention in human affairs wordnet
Example
More examples"The mystical school of Yogis was established by Patanjali, the founder of one of the six philosophical systems of ancient India. It is supposed that the Neo-platonists of the second and third Alexandrian Schools were the followers of Indian Yogis, more especially was their theurgy brought from India by Pythagoras, according to the tradition."
Etymology
From Late Latin theūrgia, from Ancient Greek θεουργίᾱ (theourgíā, “sorcery”), from θεός (theós, “god”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”). By surface analysis, the- + -urgy.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.