Mancer
/ˈmæn.sər/noun
A combining form meaning a person who practices or claims to practice a divinatory art.
Did you know?The ending -mancer ultimately comes from Greek *manteia* and *mantis*, words tied to prophecy and inspired speech, so the suffix itself is an old linguistic relic of sacred divination.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*men-
“to think, to perceive, to have mental activity”
Ancient Greek
Greek
mantis
“a seer, prophet, diviner”
Ancient Greek
Greek
manteia
“divination, prophecy”
Late Latin
Latin
-mantia
“a form used in learned borrowing for divination arts”
Middle English
English
-mancer
“a practitioner of divination or occult art”
Modern English
English
-mancer
“a person associated with a particular magical or pseudo-magical practice”