thaumaturgy

English

WOTD – 21 September 2006

Etymology

From Ancient Greek θαυματουργία (thaumatourgía), from θαῦμα (thaûma, “miracle, wonder”) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈθɔːmətɜːd͡ʒi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈθɔməˌtɝd͡ʒi/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

thaumaturgy (countable and uncountable, plural thaumaturgies)

1. The working of miracles, wonderworking; magic, witchcraft, wizardry.
   • 1853, Thomas De Quincey, “Introduction to the World of Strife”, in Autobiographic Sketches (De Quincey’s Works; I), London: James Hogg & Sons, →OCLC, page 40:

     On all subjects known to man, from the Thirty-nine Articles of our English Church, down to pyrotechnics, legerdemain, magic, both black and white, thaumaturgy, and necromancy, he favoured the world (which world was the nursery where I lived amongst my sisters) with his select opinions.

   • 1898, H. G. Wells, The Man Who Could Work Miracles:

     There were astonishing changes. The small hours found Mr. Maydig and Mr. Fotheringay careering across the chilly market square under the still moon, in a sort of ecstasy of thaumaturgy, Mr. Maydig all flap and gesture, Mr. Fotheringay short and bristling, and no longer abashed at his greatness

Related terms

• thaumatology
• thaumaturge
• thaumaturgic
• thaumaturgical
• thaumavore
• thaumic

Translations

the working of miracles

• Catalan: taumatúrgia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戲法／戏法 (zh) (xìfǎ)

• Esperanto: taŭmaturgio
• French: thaumaturgie (fr) f
• German: Thaumaturgie f, Wundertätigkeit f
• Italian: taumaturgia (it) f
• Portuguese: taumaturgia f
• Spanish: taumaturgia (es) f
• Swedish: taumaturgi c

witchcraft, wizardry

• French: sorcellerie (fr) f
• Japanese: 奇術 (ja) (kijutsu), 魔術 (ja) (majutsu)

See also

• sorcery
• wizardry