conjure

See also: conjuré

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French conjurer, from Latin coniūrō (“I swear together; conspire”), from con- (“with, together”) + iūro (“I swear or take an oath”).

Pronunciation

• Senses relating to magic tricks and imagination:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌnd͡ʒə(ɹ)/, /ˈkɒnd͡ʒə(ɹ)/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnd͡ʒəɹ/
  • Rhymes: -ʌndʒə(ɹ), -ɒndʒə(ɹ)
• Senses relating to religious or solemn actions:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kənˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/

Verb

conjure (third-person singular simple present conjures, present participle conjuring, simple past and past participle conjured)

1. (intransitive) To perform magic tricks.

   He started conjuring at the age of 15, and is now a famous stage magician.

2. (transitive) To summon (a devil, etc.) using supernatural power.
3. (intransitive, archaic) To practice black magic.
4. (transitive, archaic) To enchant or bewitch.
5. (transitive) To evoke. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
6. (transitive) To imagine or picture in the mind.

   Synonyms: envisage, imagine, picture, visualize

7. (transitive, archaic) To make an urgent request to; to appeal to or beseech.
   • Addison

     I conjure you, let him know, / Whate'er was done against him, Cato did it.

   • 1851, Herman Melville, Moby-Dick:

     Stammering out something, I knew not what, I rolled away from him against the wall, and then conjured him, whoever or whatever he might be, to keep quiet, and let me get up and light the lamp again.

8. (intransitive, obsolete) To conspire or plot.
   • Milton

     Drew after him the third part of Heaven's sons / Conjured against the Highest.

Translations

To perform magic tricks

• Bulgarian: правя магии
• Dutch: goochelen (nl)

• German: zaubern (de)
• Russian: пока́зывать (ru) (pokázyvatʹ) фокусы (ru) (fokusy)

To summon using supernatural power

• Bulgarian: викам духове
• Dutch: oproepen (nl), ontbieden (nl)
• Georgian: სულის გამოძახება (sulis gamoʒaxeba)
• German: herbeirufen (de)
• Latin: accio, ēliciō, evoco, invoco

• Maori: tuhi
• Portuguese: evocar (pt), invocar (pt), convocar (pt), conjurar (pt)
• Russian: вызыва́ть (ru) (vyzyvátʹ) духов (ru) (duxov)
• Welsh: consurio (cy), dewinio (cy)

To practice black magic

• Dutch: zwarte magie beoefenen
• Latgalian: raganēt, čapasluot
• Latvian: burt

• Russian: колдова́ть (ru) (koldovátʹ), занима́ться (ru) (zanimátʹsja) магией (ru) (magijej)
• Serbo-Croatian: čarati (sh)

To evoke

• Bulgarian: призовавам (bg) (prizovavam)
• Dutch: oproepen (nl)

• German: hervorrufen (de), heraufbeschwören (de)
• Russian: вызыва́ть (ru) (vyzyvátʹ), призыва́ть (ru) (prizyvátʹ)

To imagine or picture in the mind

• Bulgarian: въобразявам си (vǎobrazjavam si)
• Dutch: zich inbeelden
• German: sich einbilden

• Maori: pohewa
• Russian: представля́ть (ru) (predstavljátʹ), вообража́ть (ru) (voobražátʹ)
• Urdu: تصوّر میں لانا‎

To make an urgent request to; to appeal

• Bulgarian: умолявам (bg) (umoljavam), апелирам (bg) (apeliram)
• Dutch: een dringend verzoek indienen
• German: bitten (de), anflehen (de), ersuchen (de)

• Hungarian: kér (hu)
• Russian: умоля́ть (ru) (umoljátʹ)

Noun

conjure (uncountable)

1. (African American Vernacular) The practice of magic; hoodoo; conjuration.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• conjurer / conjuror
• conjure up

• conjure with
• name to conjure with

Related terms

• conjuration

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.ʒyʁ/

Verb

conjure

1. first-person singular present indicative of conjurer
2. third-person singular present indicative of conjurer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of conjurer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of conjurer
5. second-person singular imperative of conjurer

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Portuguese

Verb

conjure

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of conjurar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of conjurar
3. third-person singular imperative of conjurar

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Spanish

Verb

conjure

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of conjurar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of conjurar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of conjurar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of conjurar.