sortilege
Witchcraft, magic, especially as a means of making decisions or predictions.
Noun
- Witchcraft, magic, especially as a means of making decisions or predictions.
- We have therefore summoned to our presence a Jewish woman, by name Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York — a woman infamous for sortileges and for witcheries. - 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe:
- Orthodox believers […] were less happy about using sortilege to coerce God into taking decisions on their behalf. - 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 115:
- ‘Too much evil sortilege,’ Glad always says when someone suggests he open a franchise over Cheat Ridge. - 2001, JT Leroy, Sarah:
Synonyms: sorcery thaumaturgy wizardry bewitchery black arts charmwork conjuration conjuring craft dark arts diablerie druidcraft dweomercraft dwimmer dwimmercraft enchantment goety gypsycraft hexcraft hexerei jugglery magic mojo sortilege
Origin
From Old French sortilège, from Medieval Latin sortilegium (“witchcraft”), from Latin sortilegus (“sorcerer, diviner”), from sors (“fate”) + legere (“choose”).