prestidigitation

Meaning

1. (countable, uncountable) A performance of or skill in performing magic or conjuring tricks with the hands.
2. (broadly, countable, uncountable) A show of skill or deceitful cleverness.

Synonyms

sleight of hand

jugglery

legerdemain

juggle

magic

🪄

retraction

thaumaturgy

manual dexterity

sleight-of-hand

playing at cups and balls

conjuring tricks

adroitness

magick

deftness

ingenuity

Translations

prestidigitation

prestidigitación

Zauberkunststück

escamotage

léger de main

Fingerfertigkeit

ταχυδακτυλουργία

presdigitació

passapassa

artifici

Volte

Taschenspielerei

illusion

magie

🪄

Zaubertrick

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌpɹɛstɪˌdɪd͡ʒɪˈteɪʃən/

Etymology

From French prestidigitation, from French preste (“nimble, quick”) + Latin digitus (“finger”) + French -ation (process suffix). The word has a different origin from prestige, even though this in the past has meant “delusion, illusion, trick”.