cantrip means A spell or incantation; a trifling magic trick. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
cantrip is pronounced /ˈkæntɹɪp/.
Why “cantrip” is a great word
A minor spell or incantation, often one that can be cast without preparation, or a piece of mischievous trickery. From Middle Scots cantrip, cantrap, likely a corruption of Scottish Gaelic canntaireachd (a system of musical notation using syllables for pipers), itself from Latin cantō ("to sing, chant"). First attested in 1719. Unlike a "spell"—which can demand great power and solemn ritual—or a "prank"—which is firmly terrestrial in its mischief—a cantrip is a flicker of inherent magic, a trivial secret whispered to the world. It is the muttered syllable that makes a candle-flame dance a jig, the subtle gesture that coaxes a forgotten key from a dusty pocket, or the glint in a hedge-witch's eye that makes a coin briefly vanish—a small, singing proof that the mundane is porous.
Etymology
From Middle Scots cantrip, cantrap (“a magic charm; a trick”). Further origin obscure, but likely a corruption of Scottish Gaelic canntaireachd (identical to Irish cantaireacht), referring to a system of musical notation consisting of a series of otherwise meaningless syllables memorised by pipers in learning their tunes; this was then used similarly to abracadabra. Regardless of details, ultimately derived from Latin cantō (“to sing, chant, play an instrument”).
noun
- A spell or incantation; a trifling magic trick.“Coffins stood round, like open presses,
That shaw’d the dead in their last dresses;
And by some devilish cantrip slight
Each in its cauld hand held a light […]”
- A wilful piece of trickery or mischief.
- A minor spell, typically one that can be cast without preparation.
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