necromancer

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person believed to communicate with the dead for divination or to summon or control the dead by magic

   The legend portrays the court magician as a necromancer who questions the spirits of dead kings.

2. 2
   noun

   a sorcerer or magician associated with dark or forbidden magic

   His enemies depicted the philosopher as an unholy necromancer rather than a political thinker.

An alteration of earlier nigromancer under the influence of necromancy. Necromancy ultimately comes from Greek nekros ('dead body') + manteia ('divination'); medieval spellings with nigro- helped associate it with 'black' magic.

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