"black art" meaning in English

See black art in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: black arts [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} black art (plural black arts)
  1. (often in the plural) A practice such as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, or black magic. Tags: in-plural, often Categories (topical): Occult Synonyms: dark art, black magic Translations (witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.): 妖术 (yāoshù) (Chinese Mandarin), 魔法 (mófǎ) (Chinese Mandarin), μαύρη μαγεία (mávri mageía) [feminine] (Greek), veneficium [neuter] (Latin), maleficium [neuter] (Latin), svartekunst [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), svartekunst [feminine, masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), czarna magia [feminine] (Polish), чёрная ма́гия (čórnaja mágija) [feminine] (Russian), svartkonst [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-black_art-en-noun-B~sSxm7L Disambiguation of Occult: 95 5 Categories (other): English terms with collocations, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Greek translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations, Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Swedish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 95 5 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 86 14 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 93 7 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 93 7 Disambiguation of Terms with Greek translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations: 96 4 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 84 16 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 89 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 86 14 Disambiguation of 'witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.': 100 0
  2. (figuratively, by extension) A process that is mysterious or difficult to master. Tags: broadly, figuratively
    Sense id: en-black_art-en-noun-3X640nZe

Inflected forms

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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "black arts",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "expansion": "black art (plural black arts)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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        {
          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w"
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          "_dis": "95 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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            "Entries with incorrect language header",
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          "_dis": "86 14",
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          "_dis": "93 7",
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          "_dis": "93 7",
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          "_dis": "86 14",
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        {
          "_dis": "89 11",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
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        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
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          "_dis": "96 4",
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          "_dis": "84 16",
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          "_dis": "89 11",
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        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "95 5",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Occult",
          "orig": "en:Occult",
          "parents": [
            "Forteana",
            "Supernatural",
            "Pseudoscience",
            "Folklore",
            "Sciences",
            "Culture",
            "All topics",
            "Society",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "dabbling in the black arts",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "In 1690s Salem, anyone was at mortal risk of being accused of practicing the black arts.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A practice such as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, or black magic."
      ],
      "id": "en-black_art-en-noun-B~sSxm7L",
      "links": [
        [
          "witchcraft",
          "witchcraft"
        ],
        [
          "sorcery",
          "sorcery"
        ],
        [
          "necromancy",
          "necromancy"
        ],
        [
          "black magic",
          "black magic"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(often in the plural) A practice such as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, or black magic."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "dark art"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "black magic"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "in-plural",
        "often"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yāoshù",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "word": "妖术"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "mófǎ",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "word": "魔法"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "mávri mageía",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "μαύρη μαγεία"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "veneficium"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "maleficium"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "svartekunst"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "feminine",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "svartekunst"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "czarna magia"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "čórnaja mágija",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "чёрная ма́гия"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "svartkonst"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Operating a hand card punch was something of a black art.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 16, Graham Eccles, “The Rest Day Working saga...”, in RAIL, number 970, page 32:",
          "text": "Traincrew management has always been a bit of a black art, rather than a science. The present traincrew difficulties that beset the UK rail industry are neither new nor were they unforeseeable.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A process that is mysterious or difficult to master."
      ],
      "id": "en-black_art-en-noun-3X640nZe",
      "links": [
        [
          "process",
          "process"
        ],
        [
          "mysterious",
          "mysterious"
        ],
        [
          "difficult",
          "difficult"
        ],
        [
          "master",
          "master"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively, by extension) A process that is mysterious or difficult to master."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "black art"
}
{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
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    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Bokmål translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian Nynorsk translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "en:Occult"
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      "expansion": "black art (plural black arts)",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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        {
          "text": "dabbling in the black arts",
          "type": "example"
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        {
          "text": "In 1690s Salem, anyone was at mortal risk of being accused of practicing the black arts.",
          "type": "example"
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        "A practice such as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, or black magic."
      ],
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          "witchcraft"
        ],
        [
          "sorcery",
          "sorcery"
        ],
        [
          "necromancy",
          "necromancy"
        ],
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          "black magic",
          "black magic"
        ]
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(often in the plural) A practice such as witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, or black magic."
      ],
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        "in-plural",
        "often"
      ]
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          "text": "Operating a hand card punch was something of a black art.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2022 November 16, Graham Eccles, “The Rest Day Working saga...”, in RAIL, number 970, page 32:",
          "text": "Traincrew management has always been a bit of a black art, rather than a science. The present traincrew difficulties that beset the UK rail industry are neither new nor were they unforeseeable.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A process that is mysterious or difficult to master."
      ],
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          "process",
          "process"
        ],
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          "mysterious",
          "mysterious"
        ],
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          "master",
          "master"
        ]
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        "(figuratively, by extension) A process that is mysterious or difficult to master."
      ],
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        "broadly",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "dark art"
    },
    {
      "word": "black magic"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yāoshù",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "word": "妖术"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "mófǎ",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "word": "魔法"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "mávri mageía",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "μαύρη μαγεία"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "veneficium"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "maleficium"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "svartekunst"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "svartekunst"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "czarna magia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "čórnaja mágija",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "чёрная ма́гия"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "witchcraft, sorcery, black magic, etc.",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "svartkonst"
    }
  ],
  "word": "black art"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-02-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-20 using wiktextract (05fdf6b and 9dbd323). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.