black art

Pronunciation:		blak ârt
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Matching Terms:		black archangel
WordNet Dictionary

	Definition:	[n] the belief in magical spells that harness occult forces or evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world

	Synonyms:	black magic, sorcery

	See Also:	bewitchment, demonism, diabolism, enchantment, magic, obiism, Satanism, witchcraft, witchery

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

	Definition:	\Black" art`\ The art practiced by conjurers and witches; necromancy; conjuration; magic. Note: This name was given in the Middle Ages to necromancy, under the idea that the latter term was derived from niger black, instead of nekro`s, a dead person, and mantei`a, divination. --Wright.

Computing Dictionary

	Definition:	A collection of arcane, unpublished, and (by implication) mostly ad-hoc techniques developed for a particular application or systems area (compare black magic). VLSI design and compiler code optimisation were (in their beginnings) considered classic examples of black art; as theory developed they became deep magic, and once standard textbooks had been written, became merely heavy wizardry. The huge proliferation of formal and informal channels for spreading around new computer-related technologies during the last twenty years has made both the term "black art" and what it describes less common than formerly. See also voodoo programming. [jargon file]