Word of the Day: LEGERDEMAIN

Lightness of hand

legerdemain (noun) - sleight of hand; trickery or deception [lej-er-duh-meyn]

BREAKDOWN: The word legerdemain describes the kind of digital dexterity referred to as slight of hand. In its Old French, the term means light of hand, but its Latin roots can be more useful in decoding English vocabulary: LEV- (light) + MAN- (hand)

“A clever conjurer is welcome anywhere, and those of us whose powers of entertainment are limited to the setting of booby-traps or the arranging of apple-pie beds must view with envy the much greater tribute of laughter and applause which is the lot of the prestidigitator with some natural gift for legerdemain.” —A. A. Milne

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]