Word.ws English Dictionary

magistery

Syllables: ma·gis·tery/ˈmæd͡ʒɪstəɹi/US/ˈmæd͡ʒəˌstəɹi/

magistery noun: a pure quality with the power to cure or to turn one substance into another; also, a substance such as a philosopher's stone able to turn one substance into another.

Noun

magistery (countable and uncountable, plural magisteries)

  1. (also, figuratively, historical) A pure quality with the power to cure or to turn one substance into another; also, a substance such as a philosopher's stone able to turn one substance into another.
    • [T]hey made proofe of the ſaid flowers dried, and this high magiſterie they found, That being beaten to pouder, they cured thoſe of the bloudie flix,^([sic – meaning flux]) vvho lay at the very point of death upon that diſeaſe; […]1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book XXXIII.] The Medicinable Vertues Considered in the Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, Boughs, Branches, Barke, Wood, Juice, Root, and Ashes of Many...
    • […] I have been here long enough, if I were matter capable thereof, to be made the Philoſophers Stone, to be converted from VVater to Povvder, vvhich is the vvhole Magiſtery: I have been beſides, ſo long upon the Anvil, that methinks I am grovvn malleable, and hammer-proof: I am ſo habituated to...1645 March 4 (Gregorian calendar), James Howell, “XLIII. To Sir Levvis Dives, in the Tovver.”, in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. Familiar Letters Domestic and Forren. […], 3rd edition, volume II, London: […]...
  2. (also, figuratively, historical, obsolete) The product of such a transformation.
  3. (historical) A fine substance deposited by precipitation, formerly applied to certain white precipitates from metallic solutions.
    • magistery of bismuth (BiONO₃·H₂O)
    • I am apt to think, that either Simples, or cheap, or unelaborate Galenical Mixtures, may furnih us vvith Specificks, that may perform much more than Chymiſts are vvont to think, and poſſibly be preferable to many of their coſtly Magiſteries, Quint-eſſences and Elixirs. […] The more Judicious of the...1663, Robert Boyle, “Essay V. Proposing Some Particulars wherein Natural Philosophy may be Useful to the Therapeutical Part of Physick.”, in Some Considerations Touching the Vsefulnesse of...
  4. (historical, obsolete) A concentrated extract of a substance.
  5. (countable, obsolete) An art or a skill.
  6. (countable, obsolete) Synonym of magistracy (“the dignity or office of a magistrate; the collective body of magistrates”).
    Synonyms:
    magistracy
  7. (countable, obsolete) A medicine prepared for a specific use.
  8. (obsolete, uncountable) The quality possessed by a master; authority, mastership, mastery; also, the exercise of authority.
  9. (obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of magisterium (“the teaching authority or office of the Roman Catholic Church”).
    Synonyms:
    magisterium

Synonyms of magistery

Forms of magistery

pluralmagisteries

Origin of magistery

PIE word *méǵh₂s From Middle English magisteri, magistery (“academic degree of Master”), from Latin magisterium (“office of a chief, director, president, or superintendent; teaching office or authority of the Roman Catholic Church; authoritative statement”) (compare Late Latin magisterium (“philosopher’s stone”)), from magister (“master (title for a person in authority or one having a licence from a university to teach liberal arts and philosophy); teacher”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s (“big, great”) + *-teros (contrastive or oppositional suffix forming adjectives)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns, sometimes denoting groups and offices). By surface analysis, magister + -y. Doublet of magisterium. Cognate with French magistère, Old French magisteire.

Questions about magistery

What does magistery mean?
Magistery means a pure quality with the power to cure or to turn one substance into another; also, a substance such as a philosopher's stone able to turn one substance into another.
What part of speech is magistery?
Magistery is a noun.
How do you pronounce magistery?
Magistery is pronounced /ˈmæd͡ʒɪstəɹi/ (UK).
What is the plural of magistery?
The plural of magistery is magisteries.

Words near magistery in the dictionary

  1. magisteries
  2. magisteriology
  3. magisterium
  4. magisteriums
  5. magisters
  6. magistery
  7. magistra
  8. magistracies
  9. magistracy
  10. magistral
  11. magistral line

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: magistery (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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