prestidigitation

[ pres-ti-dij-i-tey-shuhn ]

See synonyms for prestidigitation on Thesaurus.com

noun

sleight of hand; legerdemain.

Origin of prestidigitation

First recorded in 1840–45; from French preste “nimble” (from Italian presto ) + Latin digit(us) “finger” + French -ation; or perhaps based on prestigiateur “juggler, conjurer,” derivative of Latin praestīgiae “juggler's tricks”; see presto, prestige, digit, -ation

Other words from prestidigitation

pres·ti·dig·i·ta·tor, noun
pres·ti·dig·i·ta·to·ry [pres-ti-dij-i-tuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], /ˌprɛs tɪˈdɪdʒ ɪ təˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, pres·ti·dig·i·ta·to·ri·al, adjective

Words Nearby prestidigitation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prestidigitation in a sentence

When a publicly traded company splits its stock, it is mainly an act of prestidigitation.
Why investors love GameStop’s stock split | Scott Nover | July 21, 2022 | Quartz
It’s the mathematical equivalent of prestidigitation, aimed at masking an empty argument with complexity.
How people who should know better abuse math to bolster the ‘election fraud’ lie | Philip Bump | April 12, 2021 | Washington Post
It was, all in all, a wondrous feat of prestidigitation, worthy of a Las Vegas magician.
Michelle Obama’s Media Blitz Through ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The View’ & More | Lloyd Grove | May 30, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
I hope to convince the reader that these things really exist, and are neither illusions nor farces, nor feats of prestidigitation.
Mysterious Psychic Forces | Camille Flammarion
By what religious prestidigitation he had trapped her secret from her must remain a thick mystery now.
V. V.'s Eyes | Henry Sydnor Harrison

A perfect technic is more than a wonderful power of prestidigitation, or facility in the manipulation of an instrument.
Memories of a Musical Life | William Mason
The other line of argument raises more subtle intellectual issues and is not a mere matter of prestidigitation.
A Revision of the Treaty | John Maynard Keynes
The Theosophical craze of recent years has had its influence on prestidigitation.
Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions Including Trick Photography | Albert A. Hopkins

British Dictionary definitions for prestidigitation

prestidigitation

/ (ˌprɛstɪˌdɪdʒɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

another name for sleight of hand

Origin of prestidigitation

C19: from French: quick-fingeredness, from Latin praestigiae feats of juggling, tricks, probably influenced by French preste nimble, and Latin digitus finger; see prestige

Derived forms of prestidigitation

prestidigitator, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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