magics

Noun

magic (usually uncountable, plural magics)

1. (usually) The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
   • “My magic will help you find true love,” said the witch as she looked for the right herbs in her collection.

   Synonyms:

   dwimmer, spellcraft, thaumaturgy, witchcraft, wizardry

   1. (usually) The supernatural forces which are drawn on in such a ritual.
   2. (countable, rare, usually) A specific ritual or procedure associated with such magic; a spell; a magical ability.
      • And she can turn people into stone and do all kinds of horrible things. And she has made a magic so that it is always winter in Narnia—always winter, but it never gets to Christmas.1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
   3. (countable, usually) The ability to cast a magic spell.
      • I learned a new magic after rescuing the tree fairy.
2. (usually) Something producing successful and remarkable results, especially when not fully understood; an enchanting quality; exceptional skill.
   • The original family who had begun to build a palace to outrival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway, so that the actual structure which had come down to posterity retained the secret magic of a promise rather than the overpowering splendour of a great...1963, Margery Allingham, “The Elopers”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 25
   1. (slang, usually) Complicated or esoteric code that is not expected to be generally understood.
      • The stringstream class hides a lot of string parsing magic from us at this point.2017, Jacek Galowicz, C++17 STL Cookbook, page 257

See all 16 meanings of magic