thaumaturgy

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The Word of the Day for September 9 is:

thaumaturgy   \THAW-muh-ter-jee\   noun 
     : the performance of miracles; specifically : magic

Example sentence:
     In J.K. Rowling's debut novel, _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_, 
Harry learns to perform feats of thaumaturgy at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft 
and Wizardry.

Did you know?
          The magic of "thaumaturgy" is miraculous. The word, from a Greek word 
meaning "miracle working," is applicable to any performance of miracles, 
especially by incantation. It can also be used of things that merely seem 
miraculous and unexplainable, like the thaumaturgy of a motion picture's 
illusions (aka "movie magic"), or the thaumaturgy at work in an athletic team's 
"miracle" comeback. In addition to "thaumaturgy," we also have "thaumaturge" 
and "thaumaturgist," both of which mean "a performer of miracles" or "a 
magician," and the adjective "thaumaturgic," meaning "performing miracles" or 
"of, relating to, or dependent on thaumaturgy."