Magical

How to spell magical

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce magical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does magical mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to or produced by magic, or seeming so wonderful that it feels enchanted.

Magical in a sentence

• The children believed the old wardrobe had magical powers.

• Their honeymoon in the mountains felt completely magical.

Where does magical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word magical sits on top of magic, which English took from the Old French magique in the 1300s. That French word descended from the Latin magicus, itself borrowed from the Greek magikos, meaning 'belonging to the magi'. The magi were the priestly caste of ancient Persia, famous for astrology and ritual, and the Greek word for one of them was magos. By adding the everyday English adjective ending -al, writers formed magical to mean 'having or producing the qualities of magic'. Because the root already ends in the soft -ic sound, the spelling is straightforwardly magic plus -al, with no doubled letter or silent trap, which is why it rarely catches people out.

How the word is built

• magic (from magus: sorcerer)
• -al (adjective suffix)