What would the Romans have called sorcery?

In Christian Latin, the word maleficia is used for "witchcraft" or "sorcery": supernatural powers that don't come from God, and are probably associated with demons. A person who uses these powers is a maleficus or a malefica.

1. What is the Latin word for sorcerer?
2. When was the word sorcery first used?
3. What is the root of sorcery?

What is the Latin word for sorcerer?

Etymology. From Middle English sorcerere, from Old French sorcier, from Vulgar Latin *sortiarius, from Latin sors, sortis (“oracular response”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”).

When was the word sorcery first used?

The first records of the word sorcery come from the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Latin sortiārius, meaning “person who casts lots” (referring to a person who tells fortunes). Fictionally speaking, sorcery is a magic (the kind with supernatural power, not the kind with card tricks).

What is the root of sorcery?

From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō.