thaumaturge

noun

thau·​ma·​turge ˈthȯ-mə-ˌtərj How to pronounce thaumaturge (audio)

Examples of thaumaturge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Brother Larry Schellman taught him about shamans, swamis, and thaumaturges, as well as the Catholic Church’s position on them—namely, that their powers are real but demonically granted. Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 11 May 2022 Of Jesus the dusty thaumaturge, the wandering soul-zapper and self-styled son of God, less so. James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thaumaturge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin thaumatūrgus "worker of miracles," borrowed from Late Greek thaumatourgós, going back to Greek, "performer of wonders (as an acrobat)," from thaumat-, thaûma "wonder, object of wonder or admiration, marvel" (probably derivative from the base of théā "sight, spectacle") + -ourgos "performing, carrying out (the thing specified)," going back to *-o-wergos or *-o-worgos, derivative of Indo-European *u̯erǵ- "make, bring about" (whence, as a nominal derivative, Greek érgon "work") — more at theater entry 1, work entry 1

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of thaumaturge was in 1715

Dictionary Entries Near thaumaturge

Cite this Entry

“Thaumaturge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thaumaturge. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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