sorcerer

English

Alternative forms

• sorceror (common misspelling/alternative spelling)

Etymology

From Middle English sorcerere, from stem sorcer- (as in sorceresse and sorcery) + -ere, from Old French sorcer, sorcier, from Early Medieval Latin sortiārius, derived from Latin sortem (“fate, fortune”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔːsəɹə(ɹ)/
• (US) enPR: sôrʹ-sər-ər, IPA^(key): /ˈsoɹ.sɚ.ɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

sorcerer (plural sorcerers)

2. (mythology, folklore, fantasy) A magician or wizard. Sometimes specifically male.

   Synonyms: magician, (Hopi culture) powaqa, (Hopi culture) two-heart, wizard

   • 1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 105:

     Pope Joan, who once occupied the throne of the Vatican, was reputed to be the blackest sorcerer of them all.

   • 1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 116:

     These, it was believed, would prevent the Arch-fiend from entering the charmed ring and wreaking vengeance upon the sorcerers.

   • 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 50:

     “Thou flibbertigibbet,” cried Catwezle, who had been listening, “all is clear as springwater. This Rapkyn was a sorcerer!”

   • 1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 7:

     "Well, sorcerer?" growled the Norman. "Nay, not well," replied Catweazle shivering miserably, "I have the bone-ache."

3. (figurative) A person whose skills or abilities appear almost magical.
   • 2025 May 17, David Hytner, “Crystal Palace stun Manchester City to win FA Cup amid drama and Henderson controversy”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     The goalscorer was Eberechi Eze, Palace’s sorcerer-in-chief, and it came in the 16th minute from an assist by Daniel Muñoz, who was irrepressible up and down the right.

Derived terms

• countersorcerer
• open sourceror
• sorcerer's stone

Related terms

• ensorcell, ensorcel
• sorceress
• sorcery

Translations

magician/wizard drawing upon natural powers

• Albanian: yshtës (sq) m, yshtëse (sq) f
• Arabic: سَاحِر m (sāḥir)
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܚܰܪܳܫܳܐ

• Armenian: կախարդ (hy) (kaxard), վհուկ (hy) (vhuk)
• Belarusian: чараўні́к m (čarawník), чарадзе́й m (čaradzjéj)
• Bengali: যাদুকর (jadukor)
• Breton: sorser (br) m, strobineller (br) m
• Bulgarian: вълше́бник (bg) m (vǎlšébnik), магьо́сник (bg) m (magjósnik), чароде́й (bg) m (čarodéj), ве́щер (bg) m (véšter)
• Catalan: mag (ca) m, màgic (ca) m, fetiller (ca) m
• Chamicuro: shikec̈homalo
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 巫師 / 巫师 (zh) (wūshī), 魔術師 / 魔术师 (zh) (móshùshī), 男巫 (zh) (nánwū)

• Cornish: pystrier m
• Czech: čaroděj (cs) m
• Danish: heks c, heksemester c, troldkarl c, troldkvinde c, troldmand c
• Dutch: tovenaar (nl)
• Egyptian: (zꜣw m)
• Esperanto: sorĉisto
• Estonian: võlur (et)
• Finnish: velho (fi)
• French: sorcier (fr) m, sorcière (fr) f
• Galician: feiticeiro m
• German: Zauberer (de) m
• Greek: μάγος (el) m (mágos)

  Ancient Greek: μάγος m (mágos), γόης m (góēs), φαρμακεύς m (pharmakeús)

• Haitian Creole: bòkò
• Hebrew: מְכַשֵּׁף (he) m (mekhashéf), קוֹסֵם (he) m (kosém)
• Hindi: जादूगर (hi) m (jādūgar), ओझा (hi) m (ojhā), साहिर (hi) m (sāhir), सयाना (hi) m (sayānā)
• Hopi: powaqa
• Hungarian: varázsló (hu)
• Icelandic: galdramaður (is) m
• Indonesian: ahli sihir (id), tukang sihir, penyihir
• Ingrian: tiitäjä
• Irish: asarlaí m, draoi m, draíodóir m
• Italian: stregone (it) m
• Japanese: 魔法使い (ja) (まほうつかい, mahō tsukai), 魔術師 (ja) (まじゅつし, majutsushi)
• Kabwa: omurogi class 1
• Kannada: ಮಾಂತ್ರಿಕ (kn) (māntrika)
• Kikuyu: mũrogi class 1
• Korean: 마법사(魔法師) (ko) (mabeopsa)
• Latin: venēficus m, magus m
• Macedonian: волшебник m (volšebnik), вештер m (vešter)
• Malagasy: mpamosavy (mg)
• Manx: druai, druiaghtagh, fer obbee, pishagagh
• Māori: kaimakutu
• Nauruan: itsibemin (na)
• Ndonga: omulodhi class 1
• Ngarrindjeri: thumpamarldi
• Norman: enchorchéleux m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: trollmann m

• Nyole (Uganda): omulogo class 1
• Occitan: broish m
• Old Church Slavonic: влъхвъ m (vlŭxvŭ)
• Persian: جادوگَر (fa) (jâdugar), ساحِر (fa) (sâher)
• Plautdietsch: Zaubra n, Hajksenmeista m
• Polish: czarownik (pl) m, czarodziej (pl) m
• Portuguese: feiticeiro (pt), sortílego
• Quechua: layqa
• Romani: ćovaxano

  Balkan Romani: drabaritori m (Ursari), magišaro m (Macedonian Arli)

  Carpathian Romani: čohano f (East Slovak), čohano m (Burgenland)

  Sinte Romani: čovaxano m

  Vlax Romani: varašlovo m (Lovara), fêrmêkêtori m (Kalderaš), veštako m (Kalderaš), vrêžîtori m (Kalderaš)

  Welsh Romani: čovexano m

• Russian: волше́бник (ru) m (volšébnik), колду́н (ru) m (koldún), маг (ru) m (mag), чароде́й (ru) m (čarodéj)
• Scots: wizard, warlock
• Scottish Gaelic: draoidh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Latin: vrač (sh) m, vračar (sh) m, vračara (sh) f, vračarica f, bajač m, bajačica (sh) f, bajalica (sh) m or f, čarobnjak (sh) m

• Slovak: čarodejník m, čarodej m
• Slovene: čarovnik (sl) m, vrač m
• Spanish: brujo (es) m, hechicero (es) m, sortílego m, mago (es) m
• Swedish: trollkarl (sv) c
• Tagalog: alasip
• Tajik: ҷодугар (jodugar), соҳир (sohir)
• Thai: พ่อมด (pɔ̂ɔ-mót)
• Turkish: büyücü (tr), yadacı (tr), sihirbaz (tr)
• Ukrainian: чарівни́к m (čarivnýk), чароді́й m (čarodíj), чаклу́н m (čaklún), маг (uk) m (mah)
• Urdu: جادو گَر m (jādū gar), ساحِر m (sāhir)
• Vietnamese: phù thuỷ (vi), thầy phù thủy
• Welsh: swyngyfareddwr m, rhiniwr m, hudol m (literary)
• Yiddish: מכשף m (mekhashef)

Middle English

Noun

sorcerer

1. alternative form of sorcerere