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theurgy

[thee-ur-jee]
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noun, plural the·ur·gies.
  1. a system of beneficent magic practiced by the Egyptian Platonists and others.
  2. the working of a divine or supernatural agency in human affairs.
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Origin of theurgy

1560–70; < Late Latin theūrgia < Greek theourgeía magic. See the-, -urgy
Related formsthe·ur·gic, the·ur·gi·cal, adjectivethe·ur·gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

necromancy, foreboding, augury, prediction, incantation, divination, astrology, trickery, thaumaturgy, witchcraft, fascination, alchemy, allurement, presage, illusion, abracadabra, power, enchantment, spell, sorcery

Examples from the Web for theurgy

Historical Examples

  • Theurgy was the second method of counteracting the evil influence of demons.

    Superstition in Medicine

    Hugo Magnus

  • Philip appears to have been one of the apostolical men most preccupied with theurgy.

    The Apostles

    Ernest Renan

  • The common characteristic of all the New Platonists is a tendency to mysticism, theosophy, and theurgy.

  • This current was so strong that philosophy itself was swept toward mysticism and the neo-Platonist school became a theurgy.

  • Both authors show the same admiration for the Gymnosophists, the same distinction between magic and theurgy.

    Essays on the Greek Romances

    Elizabeth Hazelton Haight

British Dictionary definitions for theurgy

theurgy

noun plural -gies
    1. the intervention of a divine or supernatural agency in the affairs of man
    2. the working of miracles by such intervention
  2. beneficent magic as taught and performed by Egyptian Neoplatonists and others
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Derived Formstheurgic or theurgical, adjectivetheurgically, adverbtheurgist, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Late Latin theūrgia, from Late Greek theourgia the practice of magic, from theo- theo- + -urgia, from ergon work
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