cantrip

noun /ˈkæntɹɪp/

1. A spell or incantation; a trifling magic trick.

   That shaw’d the dead in their last dresses; And by some devilish cantrip slight Each in its cauld hand held a light […]

   Coffins stood round, like open presses,

2. A wilful piece of trickery or mischief.

3. A minor spell, typically one that can be cast without preparation.

Where it comes from

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”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry cantrip (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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