Abracadabra

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ËŒabɹakəˈdabrÉ™/
• US IPA: /ˌæ.bɹə.kəˈdæ.bɹə/

Origin

From Late Latin abracadabra, a word used in magical writings, of uncertain origin. Relationships have been suggested with Abraxas (a Gnostic deity), and with various Aramaic or Hebrew terms (עַבְדָא כְּדַ ברָא, avda ked vara; “what was said has been done”; עבראכדברא, avra kedavra; “what has said has come to pass”; ארבע-אחד-ארבע when it is read from right to left http://www.scribd.com/doc/14656725/Abracadabra), but there is little supporting evidence.

Full definition of abracadabra

Noun

1. A use of the mystical term ‘abracadabra’, supposed to work as part of a healing charm or a magical spell; any spell or incantation making use of the word. from 16th c.
• 2012, Georgina Turner, The Guardian, 28 Aug 2012:With a quiet bank holiday afternoon to fill, the Mill yesterday dug out the old magic kit, brushed the cobwebs off its top hat and practiced a few abracadabras.
2. Mumbo-jumbo; obscure language or technicalities; jargon. from 19th c.I don’t know all the theoretical abracadabra about how it works, I’m only its pilot.
• 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society 2012, p. 335:Astrology was not specifically banned in the statutes against witchcraft, but so long as its technicalities remained abracadabra to the lay public there was always a risk that the practitioner might find himself arrested for sorcery.

Interjection

1. Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed. from 19th c.