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con·jure (kŏnjər, kən-jr)
Share:
v. con·jured, con·jur·ing, con·jures
v.tr.
1.
a. To summon (a devil or spirit) by magical or supernatural power.
b. To influence or effect by or as if by magic: tried to conjure away the doubts that beset her.
2.
a. To call or bring to mind; evoke: "Arizona conjures up an image of stark deserts for most Americans" (American Demographics).
b. To imagine; picture: "a sight to store away, then conjure up someday when they were no longer together" (Nelson DeMille).
3. Archaic To call on or entreat solemnly, especially by an oath.
v.intr.
1. To perform magic tricks, especially by sleight of hand.
2.
a. To summon a devil by magic or supernatural power.
b. To practice black magic.
n. (kŏnjər)
Chiefly Southern US
See hoodoo.
adj.
Chiefly Southern US
Of or practicing folk magic: a conjure woman.

[Middle English conjuren, from Old French conjurer, to use a spell, from Late Latin coniūrāre, to pray by something holy, from Latin, to swear together : com-, com- + iūrāre, to swear; see yewes- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.