English▸ exclamation a word said by magicians when performing a magic trick.
▸ noun informal language, typically in the form of gibberish, used to give the impression of arcane knowledge or power:
I get so fed up with all the mumbo jumbo and abracadabra.
▪ the implausibly easy achievement of difficult feats:
a computer and a little abracadabra turn a freeze-dried steak into a romantic dinner.
– ORIGIN late 17th century (as a mystical word engraved and used as a charm to ward off illness): from Latin, first recorded in a 2nd-century poem by Q. Serenus Sammonicus, from a Greek base.