sorcerer

[sawr-ser-er]

noun

1. a person who practices sorcery; black magician; wizard.

sorcerer

/ ˈsɔːsərə, ˈsɔːsərɪs /

noun

1. a person who seeks to control and use magic powers; a wizard or magician

Other Word Forms

• undersorcerer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorcerer¹

1520–30; earlier sorcer, Middle English < Middle French sorcier, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *sortiārius one who casts lots, equivalent to Latin sort- (stem of sors ) lot, fate + -i- -i- + -ārius -ier ²; -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sorcerer¹

C16: from Old French sorcier, from Vulgar Latin sortiārius (unattested) caster of lots, from Latin sors lot

Example Sentences

Her husband, who would later write witches and sorcerers and soothsayers into “Macbeth,” “The Tempest” and “Julius Caesar,” is taxed by her psychic gifts.

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Meanwhile, the petulant Jesus starts feeling his powers and is suddenly called a savior by some, a malevolent sorcerer by others.

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In the comics, the character is both a scientific genius and a sorcerer hailing from the fictional country of Latveria.

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Alys Tanner has been condemned as a witch in 18th century New England and escapes to captain an all-female crew of sorcerers.

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"Even kids here are mean to us, they treat us as beasts and sorcerers, they insult us for being black and African, are they not Africans themselves?"

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When To Use

What does sorcerer mean?

A sorcerer is a person who can perform sorcery—witchcraft or magic.The word sorcerer can be used for any gender, but it typically refers to a man. The word sorceress refers to a woman who performs sorcery.The word sorcery often (though not always) refers to so-called black magic—magic used for evil purposes. That’s why sorcerer and sorceress are often used to refer to evil characters in works of fiction, especially in the fantasy genre.In contrast, similar words like wizard and magician usually imply that such figures use their powers for good. If not, you’d usually call them an evil wizard or evil magician. Apart from whether or not they use their supernatural powers for good or evil, the words sorcerer and sorceress often imply that such a person is very powerful due to having great skill and command of such powers.For this reason, the word sorcerer is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to a person who is very skilled at something, as if they have magical abilities, as in Chris is a sorcerer at coding. The word sorcery can be used to refer to such skill. The words wizard and wizardry are used (even more commonly) in the same ways.Example: The sorcerer has cast a powerful spell to enchant this land.