abracadabra

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[edit] English

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[edit] Etymology

Magical word used in certain Gnostic writings, relation to Greek Abraxas, a Gnostic deity.

It may also be a corruption of the Aramaic term עַבְדָא כְּדַברָא, avda kedavra; “what was said has been done”; or perhaps, עברא כדברא, avra kedavra; “what has said has come to pass.”

It may also be the combination of three hebrew words ארבע-אחד-ארבע when it is read from right to left [1] .

The Aramaic is the source of the Avada Kedavra killing curse in the Harry Potter books.

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Interjection

abracadabra!

  1. Used to indicate that a magic trick or other illusion has been performed.

[edit] Noun

Singular
abracadabra

Plural
uncountable

abracadabra (uncountable)

  1. A mystical word or collocation of letters from kabbalism.
  2. Complicated technicalities, jargon that one does not understand much if at all.
    I don’t know all the theoretical abracadabra about how it works, I’m only its pilot.

[edit] Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

[edit] French

[edit] Interjection

abracadabra !

  1. abracadabra

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Noun

abracadabra m. (plural abracadabras)

  1. An unspecified magical formula.
  2. (historical) A mystical word from kabbalism.
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