A Wizard Was Simply a Wise Man
A wizard practises magic. The word is wise plus an ending, and it meant a sage or philosopher before it meant a sorcerer.
A wizard is a man who practises magic. The word is transparently built: *wise* plus the ending *-ard*, so a wizard was a wise man, a philosopher or sage. Only in the 1500s did it come to mean one who works magic. The same *-ard* ending appears in *drunkard* and *sluggard*, where it is distinctly unflattering.
- A magician. *A wizard's staff.*
- An expert. *A financial wizard.*
- A software guide. *Follow the setup wizard.*
- Wizardry — skill that seems magical. *Technical wizardry.*
- Excellent (dated British slang). *Absolutely wizard!*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wizard | An old wizard. |
| Plural | wizards | Two wizards. |
| Abstract | wizardry | Pure wizardry. |
| Root | wise | A wise man. |
| Feminine | witch | A village witch. |
- The wizard lived alone in the tower.Fiction.
- She is a wizard with spreadsheets.Expert.
- The installation wizard walks you through it.Software.
The -ard ending
- Wizard — wise plus -ard
- Drunkard — a habitual drinker
- Sluggard — a lazy person
- Coward — probably from a tail-turning image, not from cow
- Usually derogatory — wizard is the odd one out
Middle English *wysard*, from *wis*, wise, plus the ending *-ard*. The sense of a magic-worker is recorded from the 1550s.
Is a wizard the male form of witch?
Not historically. Witch was used for both sexes in Old English, and wizard came from wise. The pairing is a later convention.
Why is a software setup guide called a wizard?
Because it performs complex configuration on your behalf, which looks like magic. The usage dates from the 1980s.