F. B. Millett
Did you know?
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
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
Still, getting elected governor as an independent could be Duggan's greatest act of political prestidigitation yet.
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M.l. Elrick,
Freep.com,
23 July 2025
All are likely to face formidable new competition, although an argument can be made that more venues will create more demand in a city with an auspicious history of prestidigitation.
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Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
But what drew Carson to this kind of misdirection and prestidigitation to begin with?
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Isaac Butler,
The New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2024
In this era of the prestidigitation that is digitation, the sheer, laundry-bag bulk of the contents of these archives is stunning.
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Mark Feeney,
BostonGlobe.com,
10 May 2023
But the magician must constantly update his tricks as the audience catches on, and new crises reveal the mechanisms behind the prestidigitation.
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Justin E. H. Smith,
Harper’s Magazine ,
25 May 2022
Cite this Entry
“Prestidigitation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestidigitation. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prestidigitation
noun
