necromancy
/ˈnekɹəˌmænsi/NEH-kruh-man-see
/ˈnɛkɹəˌmænsi/NEH-kruh-man-see
Meaningforetelling by the dead
Common meaning: magic by calling up the dead
- necra corpse; deadLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 527 · scan
- mancforetelling by signsLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 487 · scan
- ynoun ending: study, state or act
‘a corpse’ + ‘foretelling by signs’ → necromancy
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- necr — Greek νεκρός “a corpse; dead” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- manc — Greek μαντεία “foretelling by signs” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek νεκρός ‘a corpse; dead’ + Greek μαντεία ‘foretelling by signs’.
Roots
Related words
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