cantrip
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cantrip
- /ˈkæntɹɪp/
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”).
noun cantrips · cantrap · cantrup · cantraip
-
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 […]
Similar: enchantment, hex, spell, cantrip, chantment, charm, conjuration, craft, dwimmer, incantation, magic, magic spell
- A wilful piece of trickery or mischief.
- A minor spell, typically one that can be cast without preparation.
Talk about this word "cantrip." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cantrip. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cantrip. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cantrip "cantrip." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cantrip.Cite this
@misc{cantrip_2026,
title = {cantrip},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cantrip},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
