entry
magic
/ˈmædʒɪk/Supernatural power, trick, or wonder-working
From Greek via Old Persian mag (wise man).
Word Ancestry
Some of the oldest “magicians” were not stage performers at all, but Persian priests the Greeks called magoi. Herodotus was already using the word in the 5th century BCE, and once Greek writers met these ritual specialists, the term began drifting from “priest” toward “sorcerer.” That drift is why magic still stands next to magi, magician, and magical like a family portrait with one serious ancestor in the middle. English later borrowed the word through Old French, and now it can describe a card trick, a miracle of code, or just the feeling when your messy apartment somehow looks clean. The old priest is still in there, hiding beneath every “how did they do that?”
The Story
Some of the oldest “magicians” were not stage performers at all, but Persian priests the Greeks called magoi. Herodotus was already using the word in the 5th century BCE, and once Greek writers met these ritual specialists, the term began drifting from “priest” toward “sorcerer.” That drift is why magic still stands next to magi, magician, and magical like a family portrait with one serious ancestor in the middle. English later borrowed the word through Old French, and now it can describe a card trick, a miracle of code, or just the feeling when your messy apartment somehow looks clean. The old priest is still in there, hiding beneath every “how did they do that?”
Modern Usage
something that works like a cheat code or feels unbelievably effective
Popularized by: internet and meme culture
Notable References
- up, up, down, punch, kick style cheat-code jokes
Kin & Kindred
From 'mag'·wise man, priest, magician
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary