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
American
[mey-jahy, maj-ahy]
/ ˈmeɪ dʒaɪ, ˈmædʒ aɪ /
Or
magi
plural noun
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Magus
singular
-
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.
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the class of Zoroastrian priests in ancient Media and Persia, reputed to possess supernatural powers.
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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
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the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians
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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
Magi
Cultural
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
It's the sporting challenge that has driven his decision for Salah, although the fact his wife Magi and daughters Makka and Kayan are enjoying life on Merseyside has also been described a key factor too.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 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
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
Mr. Obama’s political magi were especially impressed with his insights into the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain.
From New York Times ● Aug. 16, 2019
Gifts of the foreign magi, brought from afar.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Weimer says with some satisfaction that customers frequently walk in to Magus “and they say ‘I went to college here in 1982, and the store still smells the same and looks the same.’
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
When she and her husband Chris Weimer bought Magus in 2004, the shop was already an institution.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
“But about six months in, Chris was having so much more fun than I was,” McElroy explained, and she left corporate life behind to join him at Magus full time.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Simon Magus, on a raised platform, was in the very heat and height of an eloquent discourse.
From In Both Worlds by William Henry Holcombe
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.
