magus

See also: mágus

English

Etymology

From Latin magus, from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος for details). Doublet of mage.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪɡəs/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪɡəs

Noun

magus (plural magi)

1. A magician; (derogatory) a conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster.
2. (Zoroastrianism) A Zoroastrian priest.
   • 1922, Maneckji Nusserwanji Dhalla, Zoroastrian Civilization‎^[1], page 230:

     Court astrologers, who were drawn from the race of the Magi, were among those that formed the royal court [...]

Usage notes

The two meanings overlap in classical usage – both derive from the Greco-Roman identification of “Zoroaster” as the “inventor” of astrology and magic.

Translations

magician

• Arabic: مُوغِيّ‎ m (mūḡiyy), مَجُوس‎ m (majūs), مُشَعْوِذ‎ m (mušaʕwiḏ), سَاحِر‎ m (sāḥir)
• Armenian: մոգ (hy) (mog)
• Bulgarian: маг (bg) m (mag), влъхва (bg) m (vlǎhva)
• Catalan: mag (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 魔法师 (zh) (mófǎshī)

• Finnish: maagi (fi)
• French: mage (fr) m
• Georgian: მოგვი (mogvi)
• Greek: μάγος (el) m (mágos)
• Italian: mago (it) m
• Japanese: 魔法使い (ja) (まほうつかい, mahoutsukai), 賢者 (ja) (けんじゃ, kenja)
• Latin: magus m, maga f
• Macedonian: маг m (mag), во́лшебник m (vólšebnik)
• Norwegian: mager (no) m
• Persian: مغ‎ (fa) (moğ)
• Portuguese: mago (pt) m
• Russian: волхв (ru) m (volxv), маг (ru) m (mag), куде́сник (ru) m (kudésnik), волше́бник (ru) m (volšébnik)
• Spanish: mago (es) m
• Welsh: magiad m

Zoroastrian priest

• Armenian: մոգ (hy) (mog)
• Catalan: mag (ca) m
• Esperanto: mago (eo)
• French: mage (fr) m
• Norwegian: mager (no) m
• Persian: مغ‎ (fa) (moğ)
• Portuguese: mago (pt) m
• Swedish: mager (sv) c, magier c

Anagrams

• gaums, sagum

Estonian

Etymology

From magu +‎ -s, an archaic word meaning "taste", "flavour".

Adjective

magus (genitive magusa, partitive magusat, comparative magusam, superlative kõige magusam)

1. sweet (taste)

Declension

Declension of magus (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)

	singular	plural
nominative	magus	magusad
accusative	magusa	magusad
genitive	magusa	magusate
partitive	magusat	magusaid
illative	magusasse	magusatesse magusaisse
inessive	magusas	magusates magusais
elative	magusast	magusatest magusaist
allative	magusale	magusatele magusaile
adessive	magusal	magusatel magusail
ablative	magusalt	magusatelt magusailt
translative	magusaks	magusateks magusaiks
terminative	magusani	magusateni
essive	magusana	magusatena
abessive	magusata	magusateta
comitative	magusaga	magusatega

Derived terms

• magustama
• magustoit

Gothic

Romanization

magus

1. Romanization of 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌿𐍃

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος (Mágos) for details).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ɡus/, [ˈmäɡʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈma.ɡus/, [ˈmäːɡus]

Adjective

magus (feminine maga, neuter magum); first/second-declension adjective

1. magic, magical

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	magus	maga	magum		magī	magae	maga
Genitive	magī	magae	magī		magōrum	magārum	magōrum
Dative	magō		magō		magīs
Accusative	magum	magam	magum		magōs	magās	maga
Ablative	magō	magā	magō		magīs
Vocative	mage	maga	magum		magī	magae	maga

Noun

magus m (genitive magī); second declension

1. magus (Zoroastrian priest)
2. (figuratively) magician, wizard, (derogatory) sorcerer, trickster, conjurer, charlatan

Declension

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	magus	magī
Genitive	magī	magōrum
Dative	magō	magīs
Accusative	magum	magōs
Ablative	magō	magīs
Vocative	mage	magī

Coordinate terms

• maga

Related terms

• magicus

Descendants

• → Dutch: magiër
• → English: Magi, mage, magus
• French: mage
• → Hungarian: mágus
• Italian: mago
• Piedmontese: mago
• Portuguese: mago
• Romanian: mag
• → Spanish: mago
  • → Cebuano: mago

References

• “magus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “magus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• magus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• magus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• magus in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[2], pre-publication website, 2005-2016
• “magus”, in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray