Magi

or ma·gi

[ mey-jahy, maj-ahy ]
See synonyms for Magi on Thesaurus.com
plural noun,singular Ma·gus [mey-guhs] /ˈmeɪ gəs/
  1. Also the Magi, in the Bible, the astrologers who paid homage to the young child Jesus, traditionally assumed to be three in number and to be named Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.

  2. the class of Zoroastrian priests in ancient Media and Persia, reputed to possess supernatural powers.

  1. magi, people who are believed to have expertise in interpreting the assumed influence of the stars, moon, and planets on human affairs; astrologers.

Origin of Magi

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; see origin at Magus

Other words from Magi

  • Ma·gi·an [mey-jee-uhn], /ˈmeɪ dʒi ən/, adjective

Words Nearby Magi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Magi in a sentence

  • If, then, we regard Zoroaster as being the founder of the Magi, we must throw back his epoch considerably further than this date.

  • Marcellinus and Peter, representing the Adoration of the Magi.

    Child-life in Art | Estelle M. Hurll
  • He directed the Magi to consider the subject, and to give him their opinion.

    Xerxes | Jacob Abbott
  • The Jews had the real fire from heaven, and the Magi pretended to have received theirs from the upper regions likewise.

British Dictionary definitions for magi

magi

/ (ˈmeɪdʒaɪ) /


pl nsingular magus (ˈmeɪɡəs)
  1. the Zoroastrian priests of the ancient Medes and Persians

  2. the three magi the wise men from the East who came to do homage to the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:1–12) and traditionally called Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar

Derived forms of magi

  • magian (ˈmeɪdʒɪən), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Magi

Magi

[ (may-jeye) ]


The sages who visited Jesus soon after his birth. (See Wise Men.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.