Lexicon

The wizarding world is full of strange terminology and weird words. Even those familiar with the Potterverse may discover that American wizards use some unfamiliar words. Some of these terms are canonical, while others have been developed specifically for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Muggles

There are a number of American terms related to muggles.
Usage Note: Unlike in Britain, it is not standard to capitalize "muggle" in America.

  • magically challenged: An attempt to create a politically correct term for muggles. Now used mostly in jest.
  • No-maj: A shortening of "no magic". This term was popular during the early 20th Century, but fell out of common usage sometime in the 40s or 50s. Using it now would be similar to calling someone daddy-o or using gay to mean "happy". At best, one would get some odd looks, assuming they were understood at all.
  • non-magical American: Another politically correct variation, rarely used.
  • sinker: Derived from the old "witch test" in which a suspected witch was thrown into water to see if she would float. Those that sank were not witches. While not strictly pejorative, many find the term distasteful due to its connection to persecution of wizards. Naturally, this has led to wizarding youth using it all the more.

Other American Terms

  • dud/dudblood: A wizard-born person (pejorative).
  • Ilvermorny: The predominant American school of wizardry.
  • MACUSA: An abbreviation for the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
  • Winchester: Another American wizarding school, located in California.
  • wizard-born: A Squib. While not uniquely American, this is the term that took hold in the States. Sometimes shortened to wizborn.
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