Thaumaturgia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The art and practice of performing miracles or magical feats, often associated with religious or metaphysical contexts
2. The ability to produce extraordinary effects or results, commonly linked to supernatural or divine intervention
3. A branch of magic involving the manipulation of natural or mystical forces to achieve wondrous outcomes

Etymology: "Thaumaturgia" is an alternative spelling of "thaumaturgy," and its parts are plain to read: Ancient Greek "thaûma" meant "miracle" or "wonder," and "érgon" meant "work." Joined, they produced "thaumatourgía," literally "wonder-working," the doing of marvels. The Greek compound was used for the power to perform wonders, and the word carried that sense into Latin and then English, where it still refers to effects that seem to defy ordinary explanation. The core idea has changed little: the work is the thing, and the marvel is what the work produces. The "-ia" ending is the Latinized form found in many learned borrowings, which is why the spelling "thaumaturgia" sits alongside the more anglicized "thaumaturgy."

Synonyms: miracle-working, magic, wonder-working, miracles, sorcery

Antonyms: mundanity, normality, commonness