Magic word

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The magic word abracadabra written in a triangle Abracadabra triangle (cropped).jpg
The magic word abracadabra written in a triangle

Magic words are phrases used in fantasy fiction or by stage magicians. Frequently such words are presented as being part of a divine, adamic, or other secret or empowered language. Certain comic book heroes use magic words to activate their powers.

Contents

Craig Conley, a scholar of magic, writes that the magic words used by conjurers may originate from "pseudo-Latin phrases, nonsense syllables, or esoteric terms from religious antiquity", but that what they have in common is "language as an instrument of creation". [1]

Easter eggs and cheats in computer games and other software can be seen as a form of magic word, and the word please is sometimes described to children as "the magic word" for its important social effect.

Invocations of magic

Examples of traditional and modern magic words include: [2]

Magic words in fiction

See also

References

  1. Conley, Craig (2008). Magic Words: A Dictionary. Weiser Books. p. 18. ISBN   9781609250508.
  2. Ramasami, Ponnadurai (September 2015). "Perspectives of Virtual Conference on Computational Chemistry (VCCC-2014)". Journal of Computational Science. 10: 155. doi:10.1016/j.jocs.2015.08.006. ISSN   1877-7503.
  3. Stibbe, Arran (2005). "ABRACADABRA, ALAKAZAM: Colonialism and the Discourse of Entertainment Magic". Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 88 (3/4): 414–415. ISSN   0038-1861. JSTOR   41179134.
  4. Peter Monticup. "Magic Glossary". magictricks.com.
  5. "Magic Words: A Dictionary". The Magician's Hidden Library. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  6. "Panda director 'for He-Man movie'". BBC News . 2009-01-30. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  7. "Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1954 film) - Wikipedia". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. "Sesame: Origin, History, Etymology and Mythology". MDidea.com. 2015-11-30. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  9. "Paul Daniels' Wizbit returns to children's TV". 27 May 2009. Retrieved 2023-06-28.