To me, right there you hit my distinction on the head. To me wizard is linked with that root word, wise. I guess there's a part of me that views magic as a bit more of an internal/mystical process, as opposed to a singularly external process, as depicted by D&D. Hence, I have a disconnect from their concept of wizard.

Faust is a great counter example of what a wizard archetype might be. In fact, if you go back to the pulp era, that idea might hold a stronger sway. I wonder if I ask my father, what he'd say, for an idea from an entirely different generation.