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  • Magi
    Magi
    plural noun
    null the Magi, in the Bible, the astrologers who paid homage to the young child Jesus, traditionally assumed to be three in number and to be named Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.
  • magi
    magi
    plural noun
    the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians
Synonyms

Magi

American  
[may-jahy, maj-ahy] / ˈmeɪ dʒaɪ, ˈmædʒ aɪ /
Or magi

plural noun

  • Magus
    singular
  1. null the Magi, in the Bible, the astrologers who paid homage to the young child Jesus, traditionally assumed to be three in number and to be named Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.

  2. the class of Zoroastrian priests in ancient Media and Persia, reputed to possess supernatural powers.

  3. magi, people who are believed to have expertise in interpreting the assumed influence of the stars, moon, and planets on human affairs; astrologers.


magi British  
/ ˈmeɪdʒaɪ /

plural noun

  1. the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians

  2. the wise men from the East who came to do homage to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12) and traditionally called Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar

"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

Magi Cultural  
  1. The sages who visited Jesus soon after his birth. (See Wise Men.)


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of Magi

First recorded in 1175–1225; see origin at Magus


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.

See Examples For:

Intricate sculptural groups depict the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, the Adoration of the Magi and the shepherds, Herod’s massacre of the innocents, the flight into Egypt, Jesus preaching at the temple, and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Nobody can tell you whether any of them knew a Magi from a Musketeer, not to mention that the Roman Empire they worked under was a failed administration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

“We are called instead to set out and journey, like the Magi, following the light that always desires to lead us on, at times along unexplored paths and new roads.”

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2023

Through an internal project code-named Magi, Google has looked to infuse its namesake engine with generative artificial intelligence, technology that can answer questions with human-like prose and derive new content from past data.

From Reuters ● May 10, 2023

He is wearing a richly worked gold and red oriental costume reminiscent of Balthazar’s in Jan Gossaert’s Adoration of the Magi, but without the crown and scarf.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

These wise men, or magi, will eventually arrive at the manger on Jan. 6, also known as Epiphany or Three Kings Day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2024

The kings sponsored Zoroastrian temples and expanded the faith at least in part because the faith supported them: the magi, or priests, preached in favor of the continued power and expansion of the empire.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

At certain hours, children craned their necks up at the astronomical clock tower in the main square to see sculptures of the three magi emerging on a carousel.

From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2018

Gifts of the foreign magi, brought from afar.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Under the watchful eye of owner David Bell, Magus became the institution that we know today.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

While Magus feels like it somehow has a copy of every single book ever published crammed inside its walls, the annex feels breezier, and more primed for discovery.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

On virtually any trip to Magus, browsers are likely to eavesdrop on some of the best conversations in the city.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

With its high ceilings and pleasantly cramped aisles packed full of quality used books, Magus hums with the certain ineffable quality that all great used-book stores enjoy.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022

Such was the state of society at Antioch when Simon Magus appeared in that city and claimed to be an incarnation of the Deity, exercising miraculous power.

From In Both Worlds by William Henry Holcombe

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