What does "legerdemain" mean?
Sleight of hand; "magic" trickery.
Legerdemain
/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əɹ.dəˌmeɪn/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Sleight of hand; "magic" trickery.
- Grammar: legerdemain is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: deception, conjuration, conjuring trick, dexterity.
- Useful contrasts: awkwardness, candor, clumsiness.
- Usage evidence: Such changes are nothing more than the artist's legerdemain.
How to use "legerdemain"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "legerdemain" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "legerdemain" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "legerdemain" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Sleight of hand; "magic" trickery. uncountable, usually
"For he in slights and jugling feates did flow, / And of legierdemayne the mysteries did know."
- 2 an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers wordnet
- 3 A show of skill or deceitful ability. broadly, uncountable, usually
"Certainly, that they are to this day so rife in Italy and Spain, and so scant in Britain, is a shrewd ground to apprehend Legerdemain, and forgery, in the accounts we get of their later Saints."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Such changes are nothing more than the artist's legerdemain."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "legerdemain"?
Common synonyms include: deception, conjuration, conjuring trick, dexterity, etymology, guile.
How do you use "legerdemain" in a sentence?
Such changes are nothing more than the artist's legerdemain.
How do you pronounce "legerdemain"?
Pronounced /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.əɹ.dəˌmeɪn/.
Etymology
From Middle English legerdemeyn, lechardemane, from Old French léger de main (literally “light of hand”), a phrase that meant “dexterous, skillful at fooling others (especially through sleights of hand)”, which was however treated as a noun when it was borrowed by late Middle English. The Modern French descendant léger de main of the Old French phrase is archaic but still sometimes found in older literature and simply means “skillful” without any connotation of sleight of hand.