Word Etymology - Abracadabra

For those of us who loved watching magic specials on TV growing up and for those of us who never outgrew our fascination with magic this will be a familiar word. A magician would utter this mystical word and would pull something out of thin air. As a child many of us believed that this word held some unbeknownst power to make things appear that a moment ago were not present, but as we grew older we began to lose our sense of wonder about the world and about the word.

But what seems to be a nonsense word made up by and for magicians and illusionists is actually a very old word that dates back to around the second century A.D. There are many different sources that the word is attributed to and meanings it is associated with so rather than explain them all I will briefly cover the two most reliable accounts of the word.

First: The word Abracadabra is attributed to the Late Greek word "Abraxas" which is the Cabalistic or Gnostic name for the supreme god. Gnostics believed that there was a certain higher level of knowledge (gnosis in the Greek) that could only be obtained by a very few people. Abracadabra is believed to have been one of the Gnostics secret "words of power" or magic words. It was used as preventative remedy for protecting the one who spoke it from harm, and it is even said to have been inscribed on jewelry as a talisman.

Second (and my favorite): The word Abracadabra comes from Hebrew and Aramaic origins. I haven't learned the correct Hebrew pronunciation or spelling yet but the Aramaic comes from two words: Avra - "I shall create" and the word Kedavra - "As that which I say." Translated more correctly the phrase means "As it is spoken, it is created." It is unknown the exact Aramaic origin and in what way it was used first, but many magicians even as far back as the 15th and 16th century A.D. are said to have spoken this word while performing.

What it means to storytelling: In storytelling as we speak we are essentially creating a world, a scenario, a thought, etc. in our listeners' minds. They imagine what we are speaking (if we are doing our jobs well) and thus something that did not previously "exist" has essentially been brought into being.

Abracadabra - NOT just for magicians ;v)