sorcery

Definition of Sorcery

(noun) The conscious manipulation of words or ritual objects with the intent of magically causing something positive or negative to happen.

Sorcery Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sor·cer·y

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈsɔrsəri/
• British English – /ˈsɔːsəri/

Usage Notes

• Plural: sorceries
• Some definitions specify that sorcery is using magic for evil or negative purposes such as black magic.
• A (noun) sorcerer or (noun) sorceress (adverb) sorcerously (verb) sorcerizes or practices sorcery to attain (adjective) sorcerous goals.

Additional Information

• Word origin of “sorcery” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• belief system
• force
• magic
• mantra
• personified supernatural force
• polytheism
• prayer
• priest
• religion
• supernatural
• totemism

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Cite the Definition of Sorcery

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sorcery.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved June 5, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sorcery/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

sorcery. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/sorcery/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sorcery.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed June 5, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/sorcery/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“sorcery.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 5 Jun. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sorcery/>.