means A person who entertains by performing tricks and illusions that appear to defy the ordinary laws of reality, or in older usage one believed to wield genuine supernatural power.

from From the Latin 'magicus' and Greek 'magikos', tracing back to 'magos' — the name the Greeks gave to the Magi, the priestly caste of ancient Persia who were known for astrology and esoteric rites. To the Greeks these foreign holy men seemed to traffic in mysterious arts, so their very name became a byword for spellcraft. The word entered English through Old French 'magicien' in the late Middle Ages, when 'magic' still meant the real and often dangerous business of summoning forces unseen — only later did the magician shrink down to the cheerful trickster pulling rabbits from hats.