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Definition of Necromancy
1. Noun. The belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world.
Generic synonyms: Magic, Thaumaturgy
Specialized synonyms: Witchcraft, Witchery, Bewitchment, Enchantment, Demonism, Diabolism, Satanism, Obiism
Derivative terms: Necromancer, Necromantic, Necromantical, Sorcerise, Sorcerize, Sorcerous
2. Noun. Conjuring up the dead, especially for prophesying.
Derivative terms: Necromancer, Necromantic, Necromantical
Definition of Necromancy
1. n. The art of revealing future events by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; hence, magic in general; conjuration; enchantment. See Black art.
Definition of Necromancy
1. Noun. Divination involving the dead or death. ¹
2. Noun. Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Necromancy
1. [n -CIES]
Medical Definition of Necromancy
1. The art of revealing future events by means of a pretended communication with the dead; the black art; hence, magic in general; conjuration; enchantment. See Black art. "This palace standeth in the air, By necromancy placed there." (Drayton) Origin: OE. Nigromaunce, nigromancie, OF. Nigromance, F. Necromance, necromancie, from L. Necromantia, Gr.; a dead body (akin to L. Necare to kill, Skr. Na to perish, vanish) + divination, fr. Diviner, seer, akin to E. Mania. See Mania, and cf. Internecine, Noxious. The old spelling is due to confusion with L. Niger black. Hence the name black art. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Necromancy
Literary usage of Necromancy
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge by George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana (1883)
"On the other hand, necromancy or the calling up of the dead appears to have been
a practice and a profession from the earliest historical times. ..."
2. Hawaiian Antiquities (Moolelo Hawaii) by David Malo (1903)
"... the second part is that which is repeated when the cowry is let down into the
ocean for the squid. CHAPTER XXXI. necromancy. 1. necromancy ..."
3. The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge by Charles Anderson Dana (1875)
"From the treatise of Tertullian De Anima it appears that the common practice of
necromancy in his day consisted in eliciting an oracular response from a ..."
4. The Works of the Rev. Joseph Bingham by Joseph Bingham (1855)
"... ravishment, robbing of graves, charms, necromancy, counterfeiting the coin,
murder, and treason. Now when the civil law excepted so many great crimes, ..."
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