Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Myth > Magic


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


abracadabra a magic word, used as a charm.
abraxas abrasax a gem engraved with a mystical word and bearing a human-animal figure.
amulet a charm worn to ward off evil, disease, etc; a medicine supposed to operate magically. [L. amuletum].
amuletic of or pertaining to an AMULET; operating as a charm.
angakok angekkok angekok an Inuit sorcerer. [Inupiaq (Greenlandic) angakkoq.]
apotropaic turning aside evil as of e.g. a TALISMAN.
apotropaism a magical practice averting evil.
arcanum a secret; a mystery; (generally used in the plural, ARCANA). Pl. ARCANA or ARCANUMS.
archimage a great magician.
baetyl a magical or holy meteoric stone. [Gr. baitylos].
boyla a witch-doctor.
cantraip cantrap cantrip a charm; an incantation.
conjure to practise magical tricks.
conjuration the performing of magical tricks or summoning of spirits.
conjurer conjuror one who conjures.
conjury magic.
diablerie diablery black magic; demon lore; mischievous conduct or manner.
enchanter a sorcerer or magician.
ensorcel ensorcell to enchant.
galdragon in Scott, an obsolete Shetland word for a sorceress or witch. [ON galdra-kona].
glamour glamour to enchant, cast a spell over.
goetic pertaining to GOETY, black magic.
goety black magic.
gramary gramarye magic, enchantment.
greegree grigri grisgris an African talisman or spell. Pl. GREEGREES, GRIGRIS, GRISGRIS.
grimoire a magician's manual for invoking demons and spirits of the dead.
hagborn born of a hag or witch.
hagride to drive as though possessed by a witch > HAGRODE, HAGRIDDEN.
hellbroth a composition for infernal purposes; a magical preparation.
hex something that brings misfortune; (verb) to bewitch.
hexer one who HEXES.
hexerei witchcraft.
hoodoo a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional esp. among blacks in the southern U.S.; (verb) to bewitch, bring bad luck to.
hoodooism the bringing of bad luck.
ichthys an amulet or talismanic carving in the shape of a fish. [Gk. ichthys, fish]. Pl. ICHTHYSES.
invultuation the stabbing of wax image of person to be injured as form of witchcraft.
jettatura the evil eye.
jinx a person or thing that brings bad luck; an unlucky influence; (verb) to bring bad luck to, or put an unlucky spell on.
juju a fetish, a supernatural power. [Of uncertain origin, perhaps from west African language Hausa juju (fetish), probably from French joujou (toy).]
kahuna (Hawaiian) a witch-doctor; an expert in any field.
legerdemain slight of hand; magic tricks.
mage magus a magician; a person of exceptional wisdom and learning. The pl. of MAGUS is MAGI.
mageship the state of being a MAGE.
magian of or pertaining to the Magi; (noun) a sorcerer.
magianism the teachings or philosophy of the MAGI.
magic to practise magic > MAGICKED.
magical relating to magic.
magically mAGICAL.
magician one who practises magic.
magism being a MAGE.
magus see MAGE.
makutu (Maori) Polynesian witchcraft; (verb) to cast a spell upon > MAKUTUS, MAKUTUING, MAKUTUED.
mganga in Tanzania and other parts of E. Africa: an indigenous African doctor, a witch-doctor.
mojo magic. [From the West African Ki-Kongo mojo meaning soul. In the U.S. it has come to mean an object invested with soul power, or spirit power, which thus has the capacity to heal, or especially, to influence]. Pl. MOJOS or MOJOES.
moly a magical herb given by Hermes to Odysseus against the charms of Circe; a species of wild onion.
muggle a person without magical abilities.
muti a traditional medicine, associated with witch-doctors. [Zulu umuthi tree, plant, medicine].
myal relating to MYALISM, a magic cult among West Indian blacks.
myalism a magic cult among West Indian blacks.
myalist one who practises MYALISM.
obe obeah obeahism obeism obia obiisM West Indian witchcraft. OBEAH and OBI can also be verbs: to bewitch: OBIED, OBEAHED.
ouija a board with signs and letters on it, used with a planchette to receive alleged messages from the dead.
pentacle pentagram pentangle a five-pointed star, formerly used as a mystic or magical symbol.
periapt a charm worn as a protection against disease or mischief; an amulet. [Gk. peri, about + haptos, fastened].
philtre philtre a love potion; magic potion; (verb) to put under the spell of a love potion.
pisheog pishoge pishogue sorcery. [Ir. piseog].
planchette a board mounted on two castors and a pencil-point, used as a medium for automatic writing and supposed spirit-messages.
sabbat a witches' midnight meeting.
sangoma a witch-doctor.
shaman a doctor-priest or medicine man working by magic, esp a priest of Asian Shamanism. Pl. SHAMANS not SHAMEN*.
sirenise sirenize to bewitch, allure or enchant.
sorcerer a magician who employs SORCERY, divination by the assistance of evil spirits.
sorceress a female SORCERER.
sorcerous having the nature of SORCERY, divination by the assistance of evil spirits.
sorcery divination by the assistance of evil spirits.
spellbind to bind by or as by a spell.
spellful abounding in spells, or charms.
talisman an object supposed to have occult or magic powers, esp. an inscribed stone or ring worn as an amulet to avert evil or bring good luck, health, etc. [Arabic tilsam].
telesm a kind of amulet or magical charm. [Gk. telesma].
thaumaturge a performer of miracles, esp. a magician. [Gk. thaumat (wonder) + ergos (working)].
thaumaturgic involving the supposed working of miracles.
thaumaturgical having to do with the working of miracles or magic.
thaumaturgy the performance of miracles.
theurgy magic or miracles by the agency of good spirits.
theurgic theurgical of or pertaining to THEURGY; magical.
toadstone any stone or stone-like concretion believed to be formed in a toad and to have magic powers.
unspell to free from a spell.
unwitch to free from witchcraft.
vaudoo vaudoux vodoun vodun voodoo voudou vodou voudon voudoun West Indian black magic. VOODOO and VOODOU can also be used as verbs) to bewitch by voodoo.
voodooism the belief in or practice of VOODOO.
voodooist a practitioner of VOODOO.
warlock a sorcerer.
warlockry sorcery.
whammy a malevolent spell or influence.
wicca the practice of witchcraft.
wiccan a member of the cult of WICCA.
wisard a wizard.
wisewoman a witch or seeress.
witch a person, esp a woman, supposed to have supernatural or magical power and knowledge esp through compact with the devil or a minor evil spirit; (verb) to bewitch.
witchery enchantment; witchcraft.
witchhood the state of being a witch.
witchknot a knot in hair supposedly tied by witches.
witchlike like a witch.
witchy like a witch > WITCHIER, WITCHIEST.
wizard a man who practises witchcraft or magic.
wizardly like a wizard.
wizardry sorcery, magic.
zendik in the east, one who abstains from magic or practises religion.