conjurer
Meaning
a person who performs magic tricks to entertain people
a person who conjures spirits; a magician or sorcerer
Structure
Usage
The children watched in amazement as the conjurer pulled a rabbit from his empty hat.
In the old tale, the village conjurer was said to command the winds and the rain.
He built a reputation as the most skillful conjurer on the theatrical circuit.
Etymology
The word 'conjurer' originates from the Old French 'conjureor', which itself derives from the Latin verb 'coniurare', meaning 'to swear together, to conspire'. This Latin term is a compound of the prefix 'con-' (together) and the root 'iurare' (to swear). In its earliest English usage, a conjurer was one who invoked spirits or deities by uttering sacred oaths or spells. Over time, the meaning shifted from a practitioner of solemn, ritualistic magic to its predominant modern sense of a performer of skillful tricks and illusions for entertainment, though it retains the older sense of a sorcerer in historical or literary contexts.
Analysis
- con: Latin origin (prefix), meaning 'together, with'. - jur: Latin origin (root), from 'iurare', meaning 'to swear, to take an oath'. - er: Old English origin (agent noun suffix), meaning 'a person who does or works with something'.