Table of Contents
Definition of Magic
(noun) The art and practice of ritually compelling supernatural beings and forces to act in a certain way.
Examples of Magic
Magic Pronunciation
Syllabification: mag·ic
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /mAj-ik/
- British English – /mAj-ik/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈmædʒɪk/
- British English – /ˈmadʒɪk/
Usage Notes
- Plural: magics
- Magic typically works through performing rituals.
- Variant spellings:
- majic
- majik
- magick
Additional Information
- Religion Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “magic” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- belief system
- force
- mantra
- personified supernatural force
- polytheism
- prayer
- priest
- religion
- supernatural
- totemism
Works Consulted
Ember, Carol R., and Melvin Ember, eds. 2003. Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World’s Cultures. New York: Springer.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Magic
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “magic.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/m/magic/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
magic. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/m/magic/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “magic.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/m/magic/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“magic.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/magic/>.