black art
- noun
- /blæk ɑrt/
:
magia negra
- Many people in the village feared her, believing she practiced the black art.
Examples
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The movie portrays the dangers of dabbling in the black art and summoning dark forces.
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Historians have debated whether the accused really engaged in the black art or were victims of superstition.
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Many believe that black art can summon evil spirits.
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The ancient book contained secrets of black art practices.
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In folklore, she was known for her knowledge of black art, believed to conjure malevolent spirits.
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The documentary explored the history of black art and its impact on superstition in ancient cultures.
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Many villagers warned their children not to get too close to her, fearing she would use her black art for harmful purposes.
Synonyms
29
9.2
To use magic to control people or events, often to harm
20
7.7
Magic used to harm people or to help the person who uses it
Antonyms
How Supernatural
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'art' clearly denotes a skill and the adjective 'black' commonly carries metaphorical senses of darkness, secrecy or taboo, so a learner can partially infer a meaning like a secret or obscure skill. However, the figurative extension (not literal colour) and the cultural/idiomatic nuance are not fully predictable for a B1 learner without exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Black art may come from older times when people called harmful magic a dark craft; black meant 'evil' and art meant a skill or craft. That's why black art now means 'using evil or dangerous magic'.