The Abracadabra Podcast

Another request. Abracadabra was suggested by Will Simpson of WillSimpson.org. Will is a fellow podcaster and claims not to be a professional photographer but he is clearly talented. Check out his website for some beautiful photos of the western United Sates along with commentary via podcast. Hopefully one day we will be able to have the photos and the commentary podcast right to our photo iPods

At first I wasn’t expecting a very interesting definition for
abracadabra. I always thought it was a made-up nonsense word from some fiction story, but in fact it has a rich etymology.

First the definition. It is a word spoken to summon magical powers or to ward off evil. The magician says abracadabra and then pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

The etymology, although unclear, is the is interesting part. Various reference sources listed its origins as Aramaic, from the words Avrah KaDabra meaning ‘I will create as I speak,’ or from other Aramaic words, abhadda kedhabhra meaning ‘disappear like this word.’ Wikipedia also listed possible derivations from the Arabic Abra Kadabra, meaning ‘let the things be destroyed’ or from a Gnostic word for god, abraxas.

I am not an expert but I would be surprised if all of these etymologies weren’t true. The word abracadabra definitely has a rich history.

The Gnostics used the word abracadabra to ward off disease and sickness. The prescribed treatment was to write the word on eleven lines. One the first line the complete spelling, then on subsequent lines you drop the last letter for eleven lines until you are out of letters. This forms a triangle or cone. As seen below.

A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R
A B R A C A D A B
A B R A C A D A
A B R A C A D
A B R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R
A B
A

Then the paper was to be folded in a the shape of a cross and worn around the neck of the sick person.

The Steve Miller Band had a top ten hit with Abracadabra in 1983.