6  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Wizard  \Wiz"ard\,  n.  [Probably  from  wise  +  -ard.] 
  1.  A  wise  man;  a  sage.  [Obs.] 
 
  See  how  from  far  upon  the  eastern  road  The  star-led 
  wizards  [Magi]  haste  with  odors  sweet!  --Milton. 
 
  2.  One  devoted  to  the  black  art;  a  magician;  a  conjurer;  a 
  sorcerer;  an  enchanter. 
 
  The  wily  wizard  must  be  caught.  --Dryden. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Wizard  \Wiz"ard\,  a. 
  1.  Enchanting;  charming.  --Collins. 
 
  2.  Haunted  by  wizards. 
 
  Where  Deva  spreads  her  wizard  stream.  --Milton. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  wizard 
  adj  :  possessing  or  using  or  characteristic  of  or  appropriate  to 
  supernatural  powers;  "charming  incantations";  "magic 
  signs  that  protect  against  adverse  influence";  "a 
  magical  spell";  "'tis  now  the  very  witching  time  of 
  night"-  Shakespeare;  "wizard  wands";  "wizardly  powers" 
  [syn:  {charming},  {magic},  {magical},  {sorcerous},  {witching(a)}, 
  {wizard(a)},  {wizardly}] 
  n  1:  someone  who  is  very  highly  skilled  [syn:  {ace},  {adept},  {sensation}, 
  {maven},  {virtuoso},  {genius},  {hotshot},  {star},  {whiz}, 
  {whizz},  {wiz}] 
  2:  one  who  practices  magic  or  sorcery  [syn:  {sorcerer},  {magician}, 
  {necromancer}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  wizard  n.  1.  Transitively,  a  person  who  knows  how  a  complex 
  piece  of  software  or  hardware  works  (that  is  who  {grok}s  it);  esp. 
  someone  who  can  find  and  fix  bugs  quickly  in  an  emergency.  Someone  is  a 
  {hacker}  if  he  or  she  has  general  hacking  ability,  but  is  a  wizard  with 
  respect  to  something  only  if  he  or  she  has  specific  detailed  knowledge  of 
  that  thing  A  good  hacker  could  become  a  wizard  for  something  given  the 
  time  to  study  it  2.  The  term  `wizard'  is  also  used  intransitively  of 
  someone  who  has  extremely  high-level  hacking  or  problem-solving  ability. 
  3.  A  person  who  is  permitted  to  do  things  forbidden  to  ordinary  people; 
  one  who  has  {wheel}  privileges  on  a  system.  4.  A  Unix  expert,  esp.  a 
  Unix  systems  programmer.  This  usage  is  well  enough  established  that 
  `Unix  Wizard'  is  a  recognized  job  title  at  some  corporations  and  to  most 
  headhunters.  See  {guru},  {lord  high  fixer}.  See  also  {deep  magic}, 
  {heavy  wizardry},  {incantation},  {magic},  {mutter},  {rain  dance}, 
  {voodoo  programming},  {wave  a  dead  chicken}. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  wizard 
 
  1.  A  person  who  knows  how  a  complex  piece  of  software  or 
  hardware  works  (that  is  who  {grok}s  it);  especially  someone 
  who  can  find  and  fix  bugs  quickly  in  an  emergency.  Someone  is 
  a  {hacker}  if  he  or  she  has  general  hacking  ability,  but  is  a 
  wizard  with  respect  to  something  only  if  he  or  she  has 
  specific  detailed  knowledge  of  that  thing  A  good  hacker 
  could  become  a  wizard  for  something  given  the  time  to  study 
  it 
 
  2.  A  person  who  is  permitted  to  do  things  forbidden  to 
  ordinary  people;  one  who  has  {wheel}  privileges  on  a  system. 
 
  3.  A  Unix  expert,  especially  a  Unix  systems  programmer.  This 
  usage  is  well  enough  established  that  "Unix  Wizard"  is  a 
  recognised  job  title  at  some  corporations  and  to  most 
  headhunters. 
 
  See  {guru},  {lord  high  fixer}.  See  also  {deep  magic},  {heavy 
  wizardry},  {incantation},  {magic},  {mutter},  {rain  dance}, 
  {voodoo  programming},  {wave  a  dead  chicken}. 
 
  4.  An  interactive  help  utility  that  guides  the  user  through  a 
  potentially  complex  task,  such  as  configuring  a  {PPP}  driver 
  to  work  with  a  new  {modem}.  Wizards  are  often  implemented  as 
  a  sequence  of  {dialog  boxes}  which  the  user  can  move  forwards 
  and  backwards  through  filling  in  the  details  required.  The 
  implication  is  that  the  expertise  of  a  human  wizard  in  one  of 
  the  above  senses  is  encapsulated  in  the  software  wizard, 
  allowing  the  average  user  to  perform  expertly. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1998-09-07) 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Wizard 
  a  pretender  to  supernatural  knowledge  and  power,  "a  knowing 
  one,"  as  the  original  Hebrew  word  signifies.  Such  an  one  was 
  forbidden  on  pain  of  death  to  practise  his  deceptions  (Lev. 
  19:31;  20:6,  27;  1  Sam.  28:3;  Isa.  8:19;  19:3). 
 

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