Wizards vs Sorcerers

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

Lanna wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/37581>:

<< I got to wondering about all the various ways of describing magic
users.  Witches, Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcerers, sorceresess.....What's
the difference? *Is* there a difference or are these just various ways
of describing the exact same thing? >>

It's clear that one difference in Rowling's terminology is gender
(sex). Her word 'witch' applies only to *female* magic users, and is
the wizarding world's equivalent of 'woman'. Her word 'wizard' is much
the equivalent of our word 'man', as it can mean a male magic user or
any magic user. The difference between 'sorcerer' and 'sorceress' is
one is male and the other female.

Some listies have claimed that 'the real meaning' of wizard is a GOOD
magic user and of 'sorcerer/ess' is a WICKED magic user. It is clear
that that is not what Rowling meant, as 'Grand Sorcerer' is one of
Dumbledore's titles (see below) and Celestina Warbeck is 'The Singing
Soceress'. It seems to me that in the wizarding world, 'wizard' and
'witch' is that you were born with ability to do magic, and 'sorcerer'
and 'sorceress' is that you have learned skill at doing magic.

Listies have argued endlessly over the word 'warlock'. Statements like
Ernie Macmillan's claim in CoS that "you can trace my family back
through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as
pure as anyone's" imply that it simply means a male magic user. 

The word 'warlock' is much used in CoS. Besides Ernie's pedigree, Ron
says "Dad was going frantic - it's only him and an old warlock called
Perkins in the office", and one of the testimonials is from "Warlock
D. J. Prod of Didsbury [says] says: "My wife used to sneer at my
feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I
succeeded in turning her into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!"" 

The latter two examples could be interpreted to mean that 'warlock' is
a [male] magic user with weak magic power and/or limited intelligence,
but I don't believe that that is what it means. More below.

Tonks_op <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/37588>

<< I am not sure how Rowling uses the terms in her world. In our world
as I understand it, a sorcerer is the lowest form, like a beginner and
a Wizard is a Magus or Wise One and is the highest, most advanced. >>

Which *our* world?

<< Also I think in Wicca a warlock is just a male witch. I am not an
expert on this, so maybe someone else knows more. >>

No, no, no. In Wicca, every initiate is a Witch, regardless of sex.
IIRC "witch' for the females and 'warlock' for the males was from the
old TV show 'Bewitched', and I don't know where they got it from. I
have always been told that 'warlock' comes from a Saxon word for
'oath-breaker', perhaps referring to someone who renounced their
Christian baptism, from the world view in which a witch has sold hiser
soul to The Devil in exchange for the ability to do magic.

ssgtkaras wrote in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/108405 :

<< I'm probably overlooking this in the books. However, I am new to
the series and was wondering if anyone could tell me the difference
between a wizard and a warlock. >>

None of us know for sure (or if someone does, they haven't told).
Some threads on the subject begin with the following posts:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/106697
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/23351

In those threads, Steve b_boymn suggests that 'wizards' are Western
European and 'warlocks' are Eastern European. That doesn't explain why
Dumbledore's title as chairman of the Wizengamot is Chief Warlock, and
why Quidditch, a sport invented in England, is called 'the noble sport
of warlocks'.

My theory is that 'warlock' means a member of the wizarding parliament
(which might be the Wizengamot, named as it is after the Saxon
parliament, Witangemot). I assume that the word acquired additional
meaning: as being chosen by your neighbors to represent them is
something of an honor, 'warlock' came to mean a respected person, thus
'the noble sport of warlocks'; but public opinion of politicians being
what it is, 'warlock' also came to mean a person full of hot air,
which might explain the 'wild-looking' warlocks arguing over the
latest issue of Transfiguration Quarterly at the Leaky Cauldron.

There's a bit in OoP where Lupin says: "Dumbledore's 'been voted out
of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards...
they've demoted him from chief Warlock on the Wizengamot... and
they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.'

If you remember Dumbledore's official Headmaster letterhead in PS/SS,
his name was followed by "Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.,
Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards".
There has long been discussion of what those titles could possibly mean.

I think Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer is the highest
honor, perhaps given to people who have already been given the Order
of Merlin a couple of times:
Order of Merlin, third class
Order of Merlin, second class
Order of Merlin, first class
Order of Merlin, first class, Sorceror
Order of Merlin, first class, Grand Sorceror

I think Supreme Mugwump is the title of the 'chairman' of the
International [Con]federation of Wizards/Warlocks.

(I think all those names have appeared in canon, and I think they all
mean the same organization.) 
International Federation of Wizards, pages 90 and 120 of UK OoP 
International Federation of Warlocks, pages 30 and 128 of UK OoP 
International Confederation of Wizards, on DD's letterhead in SS and
GoF ch.17
International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy in Mafalda
Hopkirk's letter in CoS
International Warlock Convention of 1289, also in CoS
Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International
Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the
crisis. PoA

As for 'warlock', I long held that it was a title meaning an elective
representative to wizarding legislature council (so that the medieval
Wizards' Council, precursor to the Ministry of Magic as we were told
in the schoolbooks, could perfectly well be called the Warlocks'
Council). I said, the Saxon meaning of "warlock = oath breaker" would
apply quite well to the wizarding equivalent of a Congressman or M.P. 

While I was at it, I proposed that the Wizards' Council was earlier
named the Witchingameet, based on the name 'Witangamot' of the Saxon
parliament before the Norman Conquest. Wizengamot clearly is named
from the same source, so I patted myself on the back for an "almost
right" prediction.

So now I am proposing that Warlock means 'member of the Wizengamot'.
'Chief Warlock' should mean Chairman of the Wizengamot.

And Perkins is 'an old warlock' because he used to be an elected
representative to the wizarding legislative body, but was defeated for
re-election because his constituents found him useless, so friends who
had been re-elected got him a replacement job. And "Warlock D. J.
Prod" was elected to one term and has been using the title as a brag
ever since. I wish Ernie's pedigree was as easy to explain.