Wysard

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling for a person who practices sorcery or magic, traditionally thought to be a learned and wise man with supernatural powers
2. An old variant form denoting a sorcerer, a learned man believed to work magic through secret knowledge
3. A historical spelling referring to a magician or enchanter, a figure of wisdom who was thought to command occult arts

Etymology: The "-ard" ending is the same one in "coward" and "drunkard," but here it was attached to "wise" with no negative sense. The word originally meant a wise person, someone with learning or knowledge, and "wysard" was one spelling of it in Middle English. Over time the meaning narrowed. People with specialized learning, especially in the natural sciences and occult arts, came to be seen as possessing supernatural power, and the sense moved from "wise man" toward "magician." The older sense survives in the adjective "wizardly" and in phrases like "a wizard at chess," which keep a trace of skill or cleverness.