abracadabra

[ab-ruh-kuh-dab-ruh]

noun

1. a mystical word or expression used in incantations, on amulets, etc., as a magical means of warding off misfortune, harm, or illness.

2. any charm or incantation using nonsensical or supposedly magical words.

3. meaningless talk; gibberish; nonsense.

abracadabra

/ ˌæbrəkəˈdæbrə /

interjection

1. a spoken formula, used esp by conjurors

noun

1. a word used in incantations, etc, considered to possess magic powers

2. gibberish; nonsense

Word History and Origins

Origin of abracadabra¹

1690–1700; < Late Latin, probably < Late Greek, perhaps reflecting recitation of the initial letters of the alphabet; abecedary

Word History and Origins

Origin of abracadabra¹

C17: from Latin: magical word used in certain Gnostic writings, perhaps related to Greek Abraxas; see _abraxas

Example Sentences

“I’m just saying, don’t be surprised at the bill. Anyway, if both parties agree, you draw up a new contract to replace the old. One signs, the other signs, and abracadabra! You’re done.”

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At first relatively reserved, he celebrated the discovery of a spectator’s card by stomping his feet and yelling “¡CHAN-TATACHAN!” — nonsense syllables that are his personal version of “abracadabra!”

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Put a little abracadabra in your stocking with the new special “Masters of Illusion: Christmas Magic 2021.”

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The series’ celebrated technobabble is just a kind of reformulated abracadabra; human characters get the hang of alien gear faster than you could look up how to reset your car’s clock in the owner’s manual.

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Jakob Galloway of Wilmington Banning might as well have shouted “abracadabra” after catching a short swing pass in a football game against Elsinore, because what happened next was magical.

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