cantrip
Plural: cantrips
Noun
- A magic spell, a trick, or a mischievous prank.
- A spell or incantation; a trifling magic trick.
- A wilful piece of trickery or mischief.
- A minor spell, typically one that can be cast without preparation.
Examples
- He used a CANTRIP of letters to conjure a bingo and surprise his opponent.
Origin / Etymology
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”).
Scrabble Score: 11
cantrip: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordcantrip: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cantrip: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 14
cantrip: valid Words With Friends Word