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In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, a Muggle (/ˈmʌɡəl/) is a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born in a magical family. Muggles can also be described as people who do not have any magical blood inside them. It differs from the term Squib, which refers to a person with one or more magical parents yet without any magical power or ability, and from the term Muggle-born (or the derogatory and offensive term mudblood, which is used to imply the supposed impurity of Muggle blood), which refers to a person with magical abilities but with non-magical parents. Equivalent terms used by the in-universe magic community of the United States include No-Maj and No-Majs (short for "no magic"); French equivalents are Non-Magiques (non-mazhix) and No-Majes. (no-mazhes) [1] Other terms are Can't-Spells and Non-Wizards.[2]

Usage in Harry Potter

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The term Muggle is sometimes used in a pejorative manner in the novels. Since Muggle refers to a person who is not a member of the magical community, Muggles are simply ordinary human beings without any magical abilities and almost always with no awareness of the existence of magic. Witches and wizards with non-magical parents are called Muggle-borns. There have also been some children known to have been born to one magical and one non-magical parent. People of this mixed parentage are called half-bloods; magical people with any Muggle ancestry on the one side or the other are half-bloods as well. The most prominent Muggle-born in the Harry Potter series is Hermione Granger, who was born to Muggles of undisclosed names. Witches and wizards with all-magical heritage are called pure bloods.

In the Harry Potter novels, Muggles are often portrayed as foolish, sometimes befuddled characters, who are completely oblivious to the wizarding world that exists in their midst. If, by unfortunate means, Muggles do happen to observe the working of magic, the Ministry of Magic sends Obliviators to cast Memory Charms upon them, causing them to forget the event.

Some Muggles are aware of the wizarding world. These include Muggle parents of magical children, such as Hermione Granger's parents, the Muggle Prime Minister (and predecessors), the Dursley family (Harry Potter's unsupportive non-magical and only living relatives), and the non-magical spouses of some witches and wizards.

Rowling has created the word "Muggle" from "mug", an English term for someone who is easily fooled.[3]

Notable Muggles

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Other usages

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The word muggle, or muggles, is now used in various contexts in which its meaning is similar to the sense in which it appears in the Harry Potter book series. Generally speaking, it is used by members of a group to describe those outside the group, comparable to civilian as used by military personnel. Whereas in the books muggle is consistently capitalized, in other uses it is often predominantly lowercase.

  • According to the BBC quiz show QI, in the episode "Hocus Pocus", muggle was a 1930s jazz slang word for someone who uses cannabis. "Muggles" is the title of a 1928 recording by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra.
  • A muggle is, according to Abbott Walter Bower, the author of the Scotichronicon, "an Englishman's tail". In Alistair Moffat's book A History of the Borders from Early Times, it is stated that there was a widely held 13th-century belief amongst Scots that Englishmen had tails.[4]
  • Ernest Bramah referred to "the artful Muggles" in a detective story published decades before the Potter books ("The Ghost at Massingham Mansions", in The Eyes of Max Carrados, Doran, New York, 1924).
  • Muggles is the name of a female character in the children's book The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall published in 1959 by Harcourt, Brace & World.
  • Published in 1982, Roald Dahl's character the Big Friendly Giant uses the word "Muggled" while describing a good dream to the other main character, Sophie - “And the whole school is then cheering like mad and shouting bravo well done, and, for ever after that, even when you is getting your sums all gungswizzled and muggled up, Mr. Figgins is always giving you ten out of ten and writing Good Work Sophie in your exercise book.” – The BFG. Roald Dahl also names a family of monkeys "The Muggle-Wumps" in The Twits and other works.
  • Muggle was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003, where it is said to refer to a person who is lacking a skill.[5]
  • Muggle is used in informal English by members of small, specialised groups, usually those that consider their activities to either be analogous to or directly involve magic (such as within hacker culture;[6] and pagans, magicians,[7] Neopagans and Wiccans)[8] to refer to those outside the group.
  • Muggle (or geomuggle) is used by geocachers to refer to those not involved in or aware of the sport of geocaching. A cache that has been tampered with by non-participants is said to be plundered or muggled.[9]

Trademark lawsuit

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Nancy Stouffer, author of The Legend of Rah and the Muggles (1984) accused Rowling of a trademark violation for the use of the term "muggles", as well as copyright violations for some similarities to her book.[10] Rowling and Scholastic, her publisher, sued for declaratory judgment and won on a summary judgment motion,[11] based on a lack of likelihood of confusion.

See also

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References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Muggle

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A muggle is an term that originated in the mid-1920s, primarily in New Orleans jazz circles, denoting marijuana or a marijuana . The word's remains uncertain, with early attestations appearing in 1922 newspapers and 1926 slang dictionaries, possibly linked to connotations or regional but lacking definitive derivation. By the late , "muggle" entered broader through J.K. Rowling's series (1997–2007), where it designates non-magical humans, often viewed with a mix of condescension and separation by wizards. Rowling derived it from "mug," for a gullible person, appending a for a softer tone, though unaware of or unconcerned with its prior association. This fictional repurposing overshadowed the original slang, embedding "Muggle" (capitalized) in as a marker of versus enchantment, while occasionally evoking debates on implied toward ordinary people. Post-Harry Potter, the term has diffused into niche subcultures, such as geocaching—where "muggles" refer to non-participants who might interfere with caches—or rationalist communities denoting conventional thinkers, but these usages stem secondarily from Rowling's framing rather than the empirical drug-rooted history. Sources on the slang origin, drawn from period dictionaries and journalism, exhibit higher factual reliability than anecdotal literary analyses, underscoring a pattern where entertainment narratives eclipse verifiable linguistic precedents.

Etymology and Pre-Modern Usage

Historical Origins in Slang

The term "muggle" emerged as for marijuana in the early 1920s within African American jazz communities in New Orleans, , where it denoted either the substance itself or a marijuana . The earliest documented usage appears in a 1922 article in the Times-Picayune newspaper, describing "muggles" in the context of local cannabis consumption amid growing concerns over urban vice. This predates broader national awareness of the term, which gained traction through jazz musicians' circles, including figures like , who referenced "muggles" in recordings such as his 1928 track "Muggles," employing it as coded for the drug during Prohibition-era restrictions. By 1926, the slang was formalized in print slang compilations, with George Maines and Bruce Grant's Wisecrack Dictionary defining "muggle" explicitly as a "" and "muggles" as marijuana, reflecting its integration into urban vernacular lexicons. The word proliferated in U.S. media coverage of cannabis-related raids, particularly "giggle-easy" speakeasies in cities like New Orleans and , where headlines linked "muggle smoking" to performers and immigrant-influenced subcultures, amplifying its association with recreational use among non-white musicians facing heightened scrutiny. Such reports, often sensationalized in outlets like and New York Times, documented arrests involving "muggle parties" as early as 1923, underscoring the term's ties to early 20th-century moral panics over drug use in entertainment districts. The precise etymology of "muggle" remains obscure, with no established link to prior English dialect words, though scholars attribute its origins to innovations in the region, possibly as an onomatopoeic or clipped form evoking sounds or regional . This usage persisted into , appearing in pulp fiction and police blotters, but faded with evolving like "reefer" amid federal crackdowns under the , establishing the term's precedence in empirical drug lexicon over subsequent literary adaptations.

Linguistic Evolution Prior to 1990s

The term "muggle" first appeared in around 1922, denoting marijuana or a marijuana , particularly within New Orleans jazz culture and associated underground scenes. This usage emerged amid growing awareness of in urban vice narratives, with newspapers reporting "muggle" in contexts of police raids on "giggle-easy" establishments where the substance fueled improvisation and social gatherings. Etymologists trace no definitive origin for this sense, though it likely arose from phonetic invention or local , without connections to earlier English words beyond . By the , "muggle" and derivatives like "muggle-head" (a smoker) appeared in print sporadically, often in sensationalized accounts of immigrant-influenced use in port cities like New Orleans. However, federal legislation, including the , imposed strict regulatory burdens on distribution and possession, effectively driving the term from mainstream lexicon by stigmatizing and criminalizing public discourse around the plant. This suppression confined "muggle" to niche countercultural references, such as in isolated or writings, where it persisted as arcane argot rather than evolving into broader idiomatic use. Pre-1990s records show no verifiable widespread non-drug connotations for "muggle" in , such as denoting a fool or gullible individual, despite superficial resemblance to "mug" ( for dupe since the ). An unrelated 1608 attestation exists for "muggle" as a for a young , but it lacks continuity or magical associations. like the emphasize textual evidence over anecdotal derivations, confirming the term's obscurity by the late 20th century, with survival limited to specialized compilations rather than everyday speech. This dormancy facilitated its availability for unrelated repurposing, unencumbered by prior dominant meanings.

Usage in the Harry Potter Series

Definition and Conceptual Role

In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, a Muggle denotes an individual possessing no innate magical capabilities, existing outside the wizarding world's hereditary or learned access to spells and enchantments. The term, introduced in the 1997 novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, carries a connotation derived from the British slang "mug," signifying a gullible or foolish person, though Rowling modified it by adding a syllable to render it less harsh and potentially endearing in wizarding parlance. This linguistic choice underscores Muggles as ordinary humans reliant on empirical observation and invention rather than supernatural forces, positioning them as a baseline for non-magical existence within the narrative framework. Conceptually, the Muggle serves as the foundational counterpart to wizards, embodying the concealed boundary between two parallel societies governed by the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, enacted in following global conferences to avert and mutual disruption. This statute mandates the obfuscation of magical phenomena from Muggle awareness, preserving wizarding autonomy while allowing Muggles to pursue unhindered development unencumbered by verifiable supernatural interference. The divide highlights causal mechanisms of progress: Muggle advancements stem from systematic experimentation and technological iteration, yielding innovations like electricity for energy distribution and airplanes for aerial transport, which outstrip the wizarding reliance on static, wand-dependent magic akin to pre-industrial tools. This oppositional role in the series illustrates a realist tension, where Muggle ingenuity—driven by falsifiable hypotheses and scalable —contrasts with magic's limitations, such as interference with electronic systems or inability to replicate certain efficiencies, thereby emphasizing the narrative's of isolated evolutionary paths without implying inherent superiority.

Notable Examples

Vernon Dursley, director of the Grunnings drill-making firm, and his wife Petunia Dursley, the sister of Harry's mother Lily Potter, are Harry's primary Muggle guardians, residing at 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging, . They reluctantly house Harry from infancy following the deaths of his parents on 31 1981, enforcing strict normalcy and subjecting him to neglect and while denying the existence of despite repeated encounters with it, such as delivering mail and the appearance of a house-elf in 1992. Vernon's reactions often escalate to rage, as seen when he attempts to suppress Harry's first accidental by confining him to the cupboard under the stairs. The unnamed British Prime Minister represents a high-level Muggle with the , receiving briefings from successive Ministers for Magic on threats like escaped Azkaban prisoners in 1996 and the confirmed return of on 24 June 1996. These interactions occur via a magical in the Prime Minister's office at , facilitating coordination such as deploying wizards to guard against wizarding incursions into Muggle affairs, underscoring the Ministry of Magic's protocol for informing the head of Muggle government during crises. Other Muggle figures include Frank Bryce, the Riddle family's gardener in Little Hangleton, who in 1943 witnessed the murders of Tom Riddle Senior's parents by a young but was falsely imprisoned until cleared posthumously after his own killing by Voldemort in 1994.

Wizarding Attitudes and Interactions

In the Harry Potter series, pure-blood supremacists regard Muggles as inherently inferior, associating them with dilution of magical lineage and justifying against Muggle-borns through claims of genealogical purity that lack empirical support, as demonstrated by the prowess of witches and wizards like despite non-magical parentage. Families such as the Malfoys exemplify this disdain, viewing Muggles not merely as non-magical but as a threat to wizarding superiority, though such attitudes are contested by half-blood successes like himself. The enforces interactions through protective secrecy measures, deploying Obliviators to erase or alter Muggle memories following magical exposures, thereby preventing widespread awareness while prioritizing wizarding isolation over integration. This pragmatic approach contrasts with supremacist exploitation, as seen in Death Eater tactics during the Second Wizarding War, yet reveals underlying elitism by treating Muggles as passive subjects rather than equals. Wizarding insularity manifests in aversion to Muggle technology, rooted in cultural pride that deems such innovations admissions of magical inadequacy, compounded by empirical disruptions where ambient interferes with electrical systems. notes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that electronics malfunction at due to pervasive , highlighting a technological lag that exposes vulnerabilities, such as communication failures reliant on versus instantaneous Muggle telephones during crises like the Order of the Phoenix's coordination efforts. This reluctance, while preserving distinct magical practices, underscores adaptive shortcomings, as wizards occasionally repurpose Muggle artifacts under regulation by the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, indicating selective utility without broader adoption.

Extended and Contemporary Usages

Metaphorical Applications in Culture

Following the popularization of the term through the Harry Potter series, "muggle" has been extended in English to denote individuals lacking proficiency or familiarity in specific domains, particularly and specialized hobbies. Dictionaries such as recognize this usage, defining it as "a person without skill or ability in a particular area," with examples including non-experts in or gaming. This metaphorical shift, evident in publications from the early onward, reflects adaptations in driven by cultural divides between experts and novices in rapidly evolving fields. In technology contexts, "tech muggle" or similar phrases describe those unversed in digital tools or innovations, often used self-deprecatingly by professionals or pejoratively by enthusiasts. For instance, a industry blog post employs "tech muggle" for end-users struggling with software like , highlighting usability gaps in enterprise tech. Similarly, discussions in tech forums from reference "tech muggle" for users opting for user-friendly systems like distributions aimed at non-experts, underscoring practical hierarchies where proficiency enables efficiency. This usage empirically tracks with societal tech adoption rates; data from in 2021 shows 15% of U.S. adults over 65 lack confidence in basic online tasks, fueling such terminology in expert communities. Within gaming and subcultures, "muggle" signifies non-participants, casual players, or those outside competitive skill levels, emphasizing observable performance disparities. communities adopted it by 2006 to refer to non-players who might interfere with hidden caches, a term persisting in forums to denote unaware bystanders. reviewers like Rahdo Runs have applied it since at least discussions to distinguish dedicated hobbyists from outsiders, as noted in community feedback. In broader gaming discourse, a 2011 frames "muggles" as casual or social gamers uninterested in deep , aligning with empirical from Newzoo reports (2023) indicating only 10-15% of players engage in esports-level , where skill-based segregation naturally emerges. Culturally, the term's application often surfaces in critiques of domain-specific , where experts invoke "muggle" to highlight meritocratic barriers rather than promote universal accessibility. Tech commentators have used it to critique resistance to , as in 2017 fantasy literature analyses decrying "muggle" mindsets as barriers to progress, grounded in observable correlations between acquisition and outcomes like productivity gains (e.g., McKinsey's 2020 studies showing 20-30% efficiency boosts for proficient users). This reflects causal realities of expertise hierarchies, as evidenced by labor market data from the (2023), where technical skills gaps widen income disparities by up to 50% in knowledge economies, without reliance on egalitarian framing.

Adaptations in Media and Technology Contexts

In technology discourse, "muggle" occasionally denotes users lacking advanced technical expertise, analogous to non-magical individuals in the series. The derivative phrase "muggle-proofing" refers to implementing safeguards or simplifications in software to prevent errors or exploitation by such users, as observed in 2025 discussions of AI systems where excessive restrictions were criticized for hindering sophisticated applications. This usage parallels principles in but remains informal and limited to niche online communities rather than mainstream development . In non-English media adaptations, translations of "muggle" often amplify derogatory undertones absent in the original English, emphasizing or foolishness. The Brazilian Portuguese version employs "trouxa," meaning a gullible fool or dupe, which conveys toward non-magicals more starkly than J.K. Rowling's intended mix of and superiority. This choice has drawn commentary for potentially altering cultural perceptions of wizard-Muggle relations in localized narratives, highlighting how linguistic equivalents can introduce causal biases in reader interpretation.

Nancy Stouffer Plagiarism Claims

In 1999, American author Nancy Stouffer filed a in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against , publisher Scholastic Inc., and Time Warner Inc., alleging and trademark violations in the series. Stouffer claimed Rowling plagiarized elements from her 1984 self-published book The Legend of Rah and the Muggles, including the term "muggles" for diminutive fairy-like creatures who cared for orphaned children, as well as concepts such as "Mugglite" serum, a character named Larry Potter, and another named Lilly Potter. Her works had limited distribution, with fewer than 2,000 copies produced and no evidence of widespread availability or access by Rowling prior to the books' publication. The court granted in favor of the defendants in September 2002, ruling that there was no between works and Rowling's, as the claimed elements were either too generic or lacked proof of copying. Judge Allen G. Schwartz noted that terms like "muggle" predated usage, deriving from English for a gullible person, which Rowling independently adapted by adding a to evoke foolishness and endearment without direct reference to obscure publication. alleged trademarks were invalidated due to inconsistent use of the ® symbol and failure to maintain them, rendering her infringement claims untenable. Further undermining Stouffer's case, the court imposed $50,000 in sanctions against her for submitting falsified evidence, including at least seven fabricated documents such as an altered advertisement falsely bearing a "Muggles™" mark to support her assertions. This pattern of intentional bad-faith conduct, as determined by the , included producing materials inconsistent with original records, leading to dismissal of her claims and partial payment of defendants' costs. The ruling affirmed Rowling's independent invention of key concepts, with no verifiable causal link to minimally circulated materials.

Warner Bros. Trademark Registration and Implications

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., as licensee of the intellectual property, filed a trademark application for "MUGGLE" on April 24, 2012, under U.S. 85607151, which was registered on November 4, 2014, as Registration Number 4632764 in International Class 016 for printed matter and paper goods such as decals and posters, with first use in commerce dated June 30, 2010. The mark's status remains live, with Section 8 and 15 acceptance acknowledged on October 10, 2020. also secured registration for "MUGGLE" in International Class 025 ( 86881406, Registration Number 5131616) covering clothing, footwear, and headgear, enabling control over merchandise associated with the term in those categories. These registrations extend protections from the fictional context in J.K. Rowling's series to commercial applications, preventing unauthorized use that could confuse consumers about affiliation with official products. Prior to ' filings, competing claims existed but lacked sustained enforcement. Author Nancy K. Stouffer asserted trademark rights in "MUGGLE(S)" stemming from her 1984 book The Legend of Rah and the Muggles, later attempting federal registration ( 75924227) in 2000 for related , which was abandoned and deemed invalid in subsequent litigation where courts found no prior enforceable rights due to minimal commercial use and lack of secondary meaning. Independently, Steven Salzer held a registration for "MUGGLES" associated with comics or merchandise in the 1990s, which he offered for sale in 2007 without pursuing claims against the series despite its rising prominence. These earlier marks did not bar ' applications, as they either lapsed, were not actively defended, or failed to demonstrate nationwide priority under the . The registrations imply restrictions on third-party commercial exploitation of "MUGGLE" in covered classes, barring unauthorized apparel, stationery, or similar items that evoke the brand and risk consumer confusion, as has demonstrated aggressive enforcement of related against counterfeiters and events. This has sparked debates on overreach, with critics arguing that inherently descriptive or fictional terms like "MUGGLE"—originally denoting non-magical humans—should not monopolize generic or cultural usages beyond source identification, potentially chilling free expression in fan works or metaphors; however, U.S. upholds such marks when secondary meaning is acquired through extensive association with the source, as evidenced by the franchise's global recognition. Courts have affirmed this balance, prioritizing over expansive claims absent dilution or fraud.

References

  1. https://www.etymonline.com/word/muggle
  2. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/muggle_n3
  3. https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/etymology-of-muggle-marijuana
  4. https://grammarist.com/new-words/muggle/
  5. https://interestingliterature.com/2016/03/the-curious-origin-of-the-word-muggle/
  6. https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/300099-the-term-muggle/
  7. https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2011/07/jk-rowling-muggles-were-joints/352860/
  8. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/639542/old-fashioned-slang-marijuana
  9. https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/vm5ylgi
  10. https://southernspaces.org/2018/mapping-muggleheads-new-orleans-and-marijuana-menace-1920-1930/
  11. https://www.oed.com/dictionary/muggle_n2
  12. https://www.harrypotter.com/fact-file/magical-miscellany/muggles
  13. https://www.hp-lexicon.org/event/1692-the-international-statute-of-wizarding/
  14. https://www.hp-lexicon.org/2001/06/11/muggle-vs-wizarding-technology/
  15. https://www.wizardingworld.com/fact-file/characters-and-pets/vernon-dursley
  16. https://www.wizardingworld.com/fact-file/characters-and-pets/petunia-dursley
  17. https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/why-did-harry-potter-live-with-the-dursleys
  18. https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/despicable-things-the-dursleys-do-in-philosophers-stone
  19. https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/muggles-who-are-in-on-the-wizarding-secret
  20. https://www.harrypotter.com/features/a-guide-to-the-muggles-of-harry-potter
  21. https://www.hp-lexicon.org/thing/ministry-of-magic/department-of-accidents/obliviator-headquarters/obliviator/
  22. https://www.harrypotter.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/technology
  23. https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/33963/how-can-electricity-not-work-at-hogwarts
  24. https://www.select-technology.co.uk/blog/diary-of-a-technophobe/
  25. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18874148
  26. https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/142934-what-is-a-muggle/
  27. https://www.facebook.com/groups/potterheadlove/posts/1380076810060538/
  28. https://www.whatgamesare.com/2011/03/muggles-casual-and-social-gamers.html
  29. http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.com/2017/04/muggles-and-elitism-of-fantasy.html
  30. https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTJailbreak/comments/1o2qnji/omg_who_made_the_decisions/
  31. https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/98873/etymology-of-muggles
  32. https://hinative.com/questions/9573974
  33. https://www.reddit.com/r/harrypotter/comments/ldx0iz/were_there_any_translations_that_didnt_sit_right/
  34. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/221/425/2486359/
  35. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/us/harry-potter-and-the-court-battle-over-creativity.html
  36. https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/judge-finds-rowling-not-guilty-of-plagiarizing-potter
  37. https://www.rcfp.org/claim-against-potter-author-doesnt-fly-federal-judge/
  38. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-19-fi-potter19-story.html
  39. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harry-potter-prevails-in-court/
  40. https://trademarks.justia.com/856/07/muggle-85607151.html
  41. https://trademarks.justia.com/868/81/muggle-86881406.html
  42. https://www.berenzweiglaw.com/blog/2025/03/warner-bros-waves-legal-wand-against-harry-potter-counterfeiters/
  43. https://jamiesonlaw.legal/resources/blog/the-chamber-of-trademarks/
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