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conjure

[kon-jer, kuhn- for 1–5, 8–10, 12; kuh n-joo r for 6, 7, 11]
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verb (used with object), con·jured, con·jur·ing.
  1. to affect or influence by or as if by invocation or spell.
  2. to effect, produce, bring, etc., by or as by magic: to conjure a miracle.
  3. to call upon or command (a devil or spirit) by invocation or spell.
  4. to call or bring into existence by or as if by magic (usually followed by up): She seemed to have conjured up the person she was talking about.
  5. to bring to mind; recall (usually followed by up): to conjure up the past.
  6. to appeal to solemnly or earnestly: I conjure you to hear my plea.
  7. Obsolete. to charge solemnly.
verb (used without object), con·jured, con·jur·ing.
  1. to call upon or command a devil or spirit by invocation or spell.
  2. to practice magic.
  3. to practice legerdemain.
  4. Obsolete. to conspire.
noun
  1. Chiefly Southern U.S. an act or instance of witchcraft or voodoo, especially a spell.

Origin of conjure

1250–1300; Middle English conjuren < Anglo-French, Old French conjurer < Latin conjūrāre, equivalent to con- con- + jūrāre to swear, derivative of jūs law; cf. jury1, justice
Related formsun·con·jured, adjective

Synonyms

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3. summon, raise, invoke.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for conjure up

conjure up

verb (tr, adverb)
  1. to present to the mind; evoke or imaginehe conjured up a picture of his childhood
  2. to call up or command (a spirit or devil) by an incantation

conjure

verb
  1. (intr) to practise conjuring or be a conjuror
  2. (intr) to call upon supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations
  3. (kənˈdʒʊə) (tr) to appeal earnestly or strongly toI conjure you to help me
  4. a name to conjure with
    1. a person thought to have great power or influence
    2. any name that excites the imagination

Word Origin

C13: from Old French conjurer to plot, from Latin conjūrāre to swear together, form a conspiracy, from jūrāre to swear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for conjure up

conjure

v.

late 13c., "command on oath," from Old French conjurer "invoke, conjure" (12c.), from Latin coniurare "to swear together; conspire," from com- "together" (see com-) + iurare "to swear" (see jury (n.)). Magical sense is c.1300, for "constraining by spell" a demon to do one's bidding. Related: Conjured; conjuring. Phrase conjure up "cause to appear in the mind" (as if by magic) attested from 1580s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper