necromancer
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of necromancer
First recorded in 1540–50; equivalent to necromanc(y) ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Necromancer is a fancy word for a magician. A necromancer might mix up a love potion or cast a spell on your mortal enemy. You can use the noun necromancer when you talk about a sorcerer of any kind, but it most often refers to someone who can communicate with the dead. Your cousin who has good luck contacting spirits through her Ouija board might be an aspiring necromancer. For many people, the word has a dark, scary connotation, or a connection with black magic. The Greek word at the root of necromancer is nekromanteia, which joins nekros , "dead body," with manteia, "divination."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During the showcase, Blizzard showed off the game’s couch co-op capability and introduced the fifth and final class: the Necromancer.
From The Verge • Jun. 12, 2022
Mother has a secret edge, however; she is a reconfigured Necromancer, a robotic W.M.D. who can morph into a gilded Art Deco figure like something from “Metropolis.”
From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2022
Cumberbatch also starred alongside Freeman as the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" films.
From Reuters • Dec. 5, 2014
Since the last Sherlock episode aired, Martin Freeman has starred in two of Peter Jackson's successful Hobbit films as Bilbo Baggins, while Cumberbatch provided the voice of Smaug the dragon and the Necromancer.
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2014
Suddenly the brazen gates of the castle burst open, and there issued forth the Necromancer Ormandine, arrayed in all the terrors with which he could clothe himself.
From The Seven Champions of Christendom by Kingston, William Henry Giles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
