سِحْر
siḥrmasculine
Witchcraft in Arabic is expressed as سِحْر (siḥr). Wiktionary also lists شَعْوَذَة (šaʕwaḏa).
Meaning: the practice of witches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| سِحْر | siḥr | masculine |
| شَعْوَذَة | šaʕwaḏa | feminine |
The term for witchcraft refers to the practice of magic or sorcery. To specifically describe the act of practicing witchcraft as a concept, you can use the phrase مُمَارَسَة السِّحْر (mumārasat al-siḥr).
Which one should you use?
سِحْر (siḥr) is the standard, neutral term for magic or witchcraft, covering both supernatural magic and the practice of sorcery. In contrast, شَعْوَذَة (šaʕwaḏa) is a pejorative term used to describe witchcraft in the sense of charlatanism, trickery or fraudulent practices used by a con artist.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective form derived from سِحْر is سِحْرِيّ (siḥrī), which means magical or related to magic.
How do you pronounce it?
siḥr
Did you know?
- In classical literature, سِحْر (siḥr) was sometimes used to describe the eloquence of a speaker. A poet whose words were too persuasive was said to be practicing a form of 'linguistic magic'.
- In Arabic, the word سِحْر (siḥr) is linguistically related to the concept of 'something hidden' or 'concealed'. This reflects the idea that magic works by hiding the true nature of things from the observer.
- The term سِحْر (siḥr) appears in the Quran as a way to describe the 'miracles' of prophets, which skeptics at the time dismissed as mere witchcraft.
Examples in context
- الشعوذة علم قد يكون مثيرًا للجدل في بعض الثقافات.Witchcraft can be a controversial subject in some cultures.
- تُعَتَبرُ ممارسةُ السحر الأسودِ مُحَرّمةً في العديدِ من الثقافات.Practicing black magic is considered forbidden in many cultures.
- السحر الشيطاني يُعَدُّ أمرًا مُحَرّمًا في العالم العربي.Witchcraft with demonic influence is considered forbidden in the Arab world.
- يؤمن البعض بوجود سِحْر قديم.yu'minu al-ba'du bi-wujud siḥr qadim.Some people believe in the existence of ancient witchcraft.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witchcraft” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
