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Playing a German pen & paper RPG I noticed that they are using an adjective 'zaubermächtig' for which I could not find an appropriate English equivalent. The best I could come up with is being able to use magic, which does not sound as elegant as the German word.

The German word is a compound of the noun 'Zauber' which could be translated as spell, magic or enchantment and the adjective 'mächtig', in this case comparable to the English -able with a connotation of being competent.

Is there an adjective for this in English?

Examples

  • Kreuvf is zaubermächtig.
  • I didn't know that <presumably normal person without magic powers> is actually zaubermächtig.
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    The usual practice in D&D and its derivatives is to employ the noun spellcaster as either a predicative or an attributive.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Commented Mar 6, 2016 at 16:22

5 Answers 5

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I propose thaumaturgic, derived from thaumaturge, a 'worker of wonders or miracles; magician' according to dictionary.com.

Alternatively, sorcerous, 'of the nature of, or involving, sorcery'.

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  • I think that 'of the nature of sorcery' best describes what I am looking for. Thank you and everybody else very much for your answers.
    – Kreuvf
    Commented Apr 18, 2016 at 19:33
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The closest word I can think of is "magical", which would be "possesses magical properties"; that seems a little off, however. You could try describing them as a noun (Kreuvf is a wizard/sorcerer/mage/magician).

If you really want something that functions as an adjective, though, magic-capable or spellcast-capable sound like they should work.

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Perhaps bewitching, event if mostly used in its figurative sens, i.e. captivating, seducing, fascinating.

Example: The woman was enchanting, likely casting a bewitching spell over him.

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An alternative: a wizard. In the barest sense, implies a type.

Is a caster (of magic) - carries inherent properties of magic, but unspecified. Not a wizard, mage, or specific, just a caster, base class, if you will. User of spells, whatever.

Maybe a magician? Besides parlor-trick implications.

Please don't go with magical, Unicorns are magical.

Something more removed is to have powers, or as the example would go, "I didn't think Bob has powers.".

Last I can think of is gifted. Is an adjective.

Whichever floats your boat.

EDIT: Fixed some mistakes found by comments.

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  • Most of these aren't adjectives, and your one example of using magic as an adjective is parenthesised, ungrammatical, and seems to emphasise the noun?
    – user867
    Commented Mar 6, 2016 at 22:34
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    I know they aren't - i don't foresee either of these being used, but there isn't really a good equivalent/alternative to what's being asked for, or so i think. Thus i provided something different that could work. Ungrammatical how?
    – Sakatox
    Commented Mar 6, 2016 at 22:36
  • You've doubled the article.
    – user867
    Commented Mar 6, 2016 at 22:41
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In the same vein as Graffito's bewitching and enchanting, there's also glamourous, spellbinding, fascinating, enthralling and charming, all of which I think were originally related to magic. I see a trend.

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    Those do not describe the ability to use magic or cast a spell.
    – Drew
    Commented Mar 6, 2016 at 23:25

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