Dictionary

counter-magic en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkaʊntəˌmadʒɪk/ (UK)

Etymology

From counter- + magic.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Magic used to counteract or protect against a spell or enchantment.
   • Particularly in Catholic areas, countermagic could employ sacred objects such as holy water or consecrated wafers, or the recitation of particular prayers. 2003, William E Burns, Witch Hunts in Europe and America: An Encyclopedia, page 58:
   • After 1736 when the possibility of formal prosecution was no longer open, villagers turned to informal violence, counter-magic and the occasional lynching. 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 563:
   • The Lisu of the northern Thai highlands feared witchcraft acutely but relied on service magicians or private counter-magic to keep them at bay. 2017, Ronald Hutton, The Witch, Yale University Press, published 2018, page 25:

Forms