1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Sorcery
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| ←Sorby, Henry Clifton | 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Sorcery |
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| See also Sorcery on Wikipedia, sorcery on Wiktionary, and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer. |
Sorcery, magic, enchantment, witchcraft; the use of supposed supernatural powers by the agency of evil spirits called forth by spells, incantations, &c., on the part of the magician, sorcerer or witch. The word meant originally divination by means of the casting or drawing of lots, and is derived from the O. Fr. sorcerie, sorcier, a sorcerer, Med. Lat. sortiarius, one who practises divination by lots, sortes (see Magic, Divination and Witchcraft).
