WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
im′itative mag′ic,
- Anthropologymagic that attempts to control the universe through the mimicking of a desired event, as by stabbing an image of an enemy in an effort to destroy him or her or by performing a ritual dance imitative of the growth of food in an effort to secure an abundant supply;
a branch of sympathetic magic based on the belief that similar actions produce similar results. Also called homeopathic magic. Cf. contagious magic.
'imitative magic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):