white magic
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Sorcery in which the devil was not invoked and played no part; opposed to black magic (tf.v.).
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “white magic” mean?
Sorcery in which the devil was not invoked and played no part; opposed to black magic (tf.v.).
Is “white magic” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.