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The secret to performing magic tricks is all in the hands-or at least, that's what is suggested by the etymologies of prestidigitation and its two synonyms legerdemain and sleight of hand. The French word preste (from Italian presto) means "quick" or "nimble," and the Latin word digitus means "finger." Put them together and-presto!-you've got prestidigitation. Similarly, legerdemain was conjured up from the Middle French phrase leger de main, which translates to "light of hand." The third term, sleight of hand, involves the least etymological hocus-pocus; it simply joins "hand" with sleight, meaning "dexterity."
Examples of prestidigitation in a Sentence
Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024
Caleb weaves prestidigitation into most every snap.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2023
In this era of the prestidigitation that is digitation, the sheer, laundry-bag bulk of the contents of these archives is stunning.
—Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2024
But the magician must constantly update his tricks as the audience catches on, and new crises reveal the mechanisms behind the prestidigitation.
—Justin E. H. Smith, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2024
DelGaudio jettisoned most of the trappings of magic shows and used his prestidigitation skills in service of a meditation on identity.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2021
Talk about a feat of prestidigitation: Jordan Michelman recently turned water into a James Beard Award.
—oregonlive, 3 June 2024
This is not some trick of rhetorical prestidigitation or a leap of logic.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 16 Oct. 2019
Crucially, monetary policy oriented around individuals should be easier to understand than the customary prestidigitation.
—The Economist, 26 May 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near prestidigitation
Cite this Entry
“Prestidigitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestidigitation. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.
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prestidigitation
noun
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