Words for “Wizard”
‘I prefer the term “wizard”. “Sorcerer” always makes me think of, you know, silk robes and astrological symbols, gaudy jewellery, smoke and mirrors and all that gubbins. A wizard is more of your get-down-to-it, get-on-with-it, no-nonsense magic worker. We may not have the best dress-sense in the world, but if you want results, you’ll get them from a wizard.’
— The Fantasy Reader, p. 179
But there are many other words for ‘magic-worker’, in all its varied meanings. Here are just a few:
- wizard
- wizardess
- sorcerer
- sorceress
- witch
- man-witch
- he-witch
- white witch
- magician
- magicienne
- magicianess
- warlock
- mage
- wise man
- wise woman
- cunning man
- cunning woman
- wonder-master
- wonder-man
- wonder-woman
- wonder-worker
- wonder-monger
- sorcerist
- fascinator
- trollman
- magic-man
- magic-woman
- arch-magician
- archimage
- under-sorcerer
- miracle-worker
- miracle-man
- miracle-woman
- miracle-monger
- mirabilist
- miraculist
- miracler
- thaumaturge
- thaumaturgus
- thaumaturgist
- theomagician
- malefic
- caco-magician
- devil-cleper
- demoniast
- devil-dealer
- demonosopher
- demonurgist
- devil-monger
- diabolist
- conjurer
- conjuror
- conjuress
- goetian
- exorcist
- invocator
- evocator
- evocatrix
- necromant
- suggestionist
- psychogogue
- tempestarian
- magus
- chantress
- luller
- beldam
- besom-rider
- weird-woman
- pishogue
- ealdwita
- sage
- sapient
- sapientipotent
- chirosophist (palm-reader)
- illusionist
- adept
- astrologer
- augurer
- occultist
- seer
- shaman
- soothsayer
And here are a few ‘-mancer’ types for good measure:
- necromancer
- Tells the future by consulting the spirits of the dead.
- geomancer
- Tells the future by reading marks on the ground, or from the shapes formed by thrown soil, stones, sand, etc.
- hydromancer
- Tells the future by dropping pebbles into a pool and reading the ripples.
- aeromancer
- Tells the future by consulting the winds and sky.
- pyromancer
- Tells the future by looking into flames.
- chiromancer
- Tells the future by reading palms.
- scapulimancer
- Tells the future by examining shoulder blades.
Sources
- Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary
- Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus
- Wikipedia
Copyright © 2015 Murray Ewing.