Magic

magic
    adj 1: possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate
           to supernatural powers; "charming incantations"; "magic
           signs that protect against adverse influence"; "a magical
           spell"; "'tis now the very witching time of night"-
           Shakespeare; "wizard wands"; "wizardly powers" [syn:
           {charming}, {magic}, {magical}, {sorcerous},
           {witching(a)}, {wizard(a)}, {wizardly}]
    n 1: any art that invokes supernatural powers [syn: {magic},
         {thaumaturgy}]
    2: an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers [syn:
       {magic trick}, {conjuring trick}, {trick}, {magic},
       {legerdemain}, {conjuration}, {thaumaturgy}, {illusion},
       {deception}]
    

Magic \Mag"ic\, n. [OE. magique, L. magice, Gr. ? (sc. ?), fr.
   ?. See {Magic}, a., and {Magi}.]
   1. A comprehensive name for all of the pretended arts which
      claim to produce effects by the assistance of supernatural
      beings, or departed spirits, or by a mastery of secret
      forces in nature attained by a study of occult science,
      including enchantment, conjuration, witchcraft, sorcery,
      necromancy, incantation, etc.
      [1913 Webster]

            An appearance made by some magic.     --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The art of creating illusions which appear to the observer
      to be inexplicable except by some supernatural influence;
      it includes simple sleight of hand (legerdemain) as well
      as more elaborate stage magic, using special devices
      constructed to produce mystifying effects; as, the magic
      of David Copperfield. It is practised as an entertainment,
      by magicians who do not pretend to have supernatural
      powers.
      [PJC]

   {Celestial magic}, a supposed supernatural power which gave
      to spirits a kind of dominion over the planets, and to the
      planets an influence over men.

   {Natural magic}, the art of employing the powers of nature to
      produce effects apparently supernatural.

   {Superstitious magic}, or {Geotic magic}, the invocation of
      devils or demons, involving the supposition of some tacit
      or express agreement between them and human beings.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: Sorcery; witchcraft; necromancy; conjuration;
        enchantment.
        [1913 Webster] Magic
    

Magic \Mag"ic\, Magical \Mag"ic*al\, a. [L. magicus, Gr. ?, fr.
   ?: cf. F. magique. See {Magi}.]
   1. Pertaining to the hidden wisdom supposed to be possessed
      by the Magi; relating to the occult powers of nature, and
      the producing of effects by their agency.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Performed by, or proceeding from, occult and superhuman
      agencies; done by, or seemingly done by, enchantment or
      sorcery; as, a magical spell. Hence: Seemingly requiring
      more than human power; imposing or startling in
      performance; producing effects which seem supernatural or
      very extraordinary; having extraordinary properties; as, a
      magic lantern; a magic square or circle.
      [1913 Webster]

            The painter's magic skill.            --Cowper.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: Although with certain words magic is used more than
         magical, -- as, magic circle, magic square, magic wand,
         -- we may in general say magic or magical; as, a magic
         or magical effect; a magic or magical influence, etc.
         But when the adjective is predicative, magical, and not
         magic, is used; as, the effect was magical.
         [1913 Webster]

   {Magic circle}, a series of concentric circles containing the
      numbers 12 to 75 in eight radii, and having somewhat
      similar properties to the magic square.

   {Magic humming bird} (Zool.), a Mexican humming bird ({Iache
      magica}), having white downy thing tufts.

   {Magic lantern}. See {Lantern}.

   {Magic square}, numbers so disposed in parallel and equal
      rows in the form of a square, that each row, taken
      vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, shall give the
      same sum, the same product, or an harmonical series,
      according as the numbers taken are in arithmetical,
      geometrical, or harmonical progression.

   {Magic wand}, a wand used by a magician in performing feats
      of magic.
      [1913 Webster]
    

MAGIC, n.  An art of converting superstition into coin.  There are
other arts serving the same high purpose, but the discreet
lexicographer does not name them.
    

magic


   1. adj. 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. adj. Characteristic of something that works although no one really
   understands why (this is especially called {black magic}).

   3. n. [Stanford] A feature not generally publicized that allows
   something otherwise impossible, or a feature formerly in that category
   but now unveiled.

   4. n. The ultimate goal of all engineering & development, elegance in
   the extreme; from the first corollary to Clarke's Third Law: "Any
   technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced".

   Parodies playing on these senses of the term abound; some have made
   their way into serious documentation, as when a MAGIC directive was
   described in the Control Card Reference for GCOS c.1978. For more
   about hackish `magic', see Appendix A. Compare {black magic},
   {wizardly}, {deep magic}, {heavy wizardry}.
    

MAGIC

   An early system on the {Midac} computer.

   [Listed in CACM 2(5):16 (May 1959)].

   [{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}.

   [{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).
    

135 Moby Thesaurus words for "magic":
      Prospero, abracadabra, airiness, alchemy, allure, allurement,
      appearance, augury, aura, bewitchery, bewitching, bewitchment,
      black art, black magic, blaze of glory, brilliance, brilliancy,
      charisma, charm, charming, conjuring, delusiveness, demonolatry,
      devilry, deviltry, diablerie, diabolism, divination, divining,
      enchanting, enchantment, ensorcellment, entrancing, envelope,
      exorcism, extraordinary, fallaciousness, false appearance,
      false light, false show, falseness, fascinating, fascination,
      fetishism, glamor, glamour, glory, gramarye, halo, hocus-pocus,
      hoodoo, hypnotic, idealization, illusion, illusionism, illusionist,
      illusiveness, illustriousness, immateriality, incantation, juju,
      jujuism, legerdemain, luster, magian, magic act, magic show,
      magical, magician, magnetic, magnetism, marvelous, mesmerizing,
      miraculous, mumbo-jumbo, mystic, mystique, natural magic,
      necromancy, necromantic, nimbus, numinousness, obeah, occult,
      occultism, prestidigitation, prodigious, radiance, remarkable,
      resplendence, resplendency, rune, satanism, seeming, semblance,
      shamanism, shamanistic, show, simulacrum, sleight of hand,
      soothsaying, sorcerer, sorcerous, sorcery, sortilege,
      specious appearance, spell, spellbinding, spellcasting, splendor,
      stupendous, sympathetic magic, thaumaturgia, thaumaturgics,
      thaumaturgism, thaumaturgy, theurgy, trickery, unactuality,
      unbelievable, unprecedented, unreality, unsubstantiality,
      vampirism, voodoo, voodooism, wanga, white magic, witchcraft,
      witchery, witching, witchwork, witchy, wizardly, wizardry