[maj-ik] 
| 1. | the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; legerdemain; conjuring: to pull a rabbit out of a hat by magic. |
| 2. | the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature. Compare contagious magic, imitative magic, sympathetic magic. |
| 3. | the use of this art: Magic, it was believed, could drive illness from the body. |
| 4. | the effects produced: the magic of recovery. |
| 5. | power or influence exerted through this art: a wizard of great magic. |
| 6. | any extraordinary or mystical influence, charm, power, etc.: the magic in a great name; the magic of music; the magic of spring. |
| 7. | (initial capital letter ) the U.S. code name for information from decrypting machine-enciphered Japanese wireless messages before and during World War II. |
| 8. | employed in magic: magic spells; magic dances; magic rites. |
| 9. | mysteriously enchanting; magical: magic beauty. |
| 10. | of, pertaining to, or due to magic. |
| 11. | producing the effects of magic; magical: a magic touch. |
, n. use of fem. of magikós. See magus, -ic | mag·ic (māj'ĭk) n.
To produce or make by or as if by magic. [Middle English magik, from Old French magique, from Late Latin magica, from Latin magicē, from Greek magikē, from feminine of magikos, of the Magi, magical, from magos, magician, magus; see magus.] |
MAGIC
An early system on the Midac computer.
[Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)].
[The Jargon File]
(1995-01-25)
magic
1. As yet unexplained, or too complicated to explain; compare automagically and (Arthur C.) Clarke's Third Law:
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
"TTY echoing is controlled by a large number of magic bits." "This routine magically computes the parity of an 8-bit byte in three instructions."
2. Characteristic of something that works although no one really understands why (this is especially called black magic).
3. (Stanford) A feature not generally publicised that allows something otherwise impossible or a feature formerly in that category but now unveiled.
Compare wizardly, deep magic, heavy wizardry.
For more about hackish "magic" see Magic Switch Story.
4. magic number.
[The Jargon File]
(2001-03-19)
Magic
The Jews seem early to have consulted the teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Judg. 18:5, 6; Zech. 10:2). There is a remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Ezek. 21:19-22. We read also of the divining cup of Joseph (Gen. 44:5). The magicians of Egypt are frequently referred to in the history of the Exodus. Magic was an inherent part of the ancient Egyptian religion, and entered largely into their daily life. All magical arts were distinctly prohibited under penalty of death in the Mosaic law. The Jews were commanded not to learn the "abomination" of the people of the Promised Land (Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:9-14). The history of Saul's consulting the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:3-20) gives no warrant for attributing supernatural power to magicians. From the first the witch is here only a bystander. The practice of magic lingered among the people till after the Captivity, when they gradually abandoned it. It is not much referred to in the New Testament. The Magi mentioned in Matt. 2:1-12 were not magicians in the ordinary sense of the word. They belonged to a religious caste, the followers of Zoroaster, the astrologers of the East. Simon, a magician, was found by Philip at Samaria (Acts 8:9-24); and Paul and Barnabas encountered Elymas, a Jewish sorcerer, at Paphos (13:6-12). At Ephesus there was a great destruction of magical books (Acts 19:18, 19).
