Magi
Americanplural noun
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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.
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
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:
To figure out what AI-driven search should look like, the company began a multiteam effort called Project Magi, led by Liz Reid, who became Google’s vice president of search in 2024.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 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
I worried that if she kept it up, the Three Magi wouldn’t come with presents.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
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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
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One day, he brought his most recent finds to Magus and the book buyer declined, explaining that the store was for sale and couldn’t afford to accumulate any more debt.
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
Now, the couple oversee a dozen employees, and Magus handles a truly staggering number of books flooding in and out the doors on a daily basis.
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
In a few weeks Lelius was not only the dupe, but the mere creature of Simon Magus.
From In Both Worlds by Holcombe, William Henry
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.