Hocus-pocus is a generic term that may be derived from an ancient language and is currently used to refer to the actions of magicians, often as the stereotypical magic words spoken when bringing about some sort of change. It was once a common term for a magician, juggler, or other similar entertainers.
History
The earliest known English-language work on magic, or what was then known as legerdemain, was published anonymously in 1635 under the title Hocus Pocus Junior: The Anatomie of Legerdemain. Further research suggests that "Hocus Pocus" was the stage name of a well known magician of the era. This may be William Vincent, who is recorded as having been granted a license to perform magic in England in 1619. Whether he was the author of the book is unknown.
Conjectured origins
The origins of the term remain obscure. The most popular conjecture is that it is a garbled Latin religious phrase or some form of ‘dog’ Latin. Some have associated it with similar-sounding fictional, mythical, or legendary names. Others dismiss it as merely a combination of nonsense words. In some Slavic languages, "pokus" means an "attempt" or an "experiment", as for example in Czech or Slovak language. The word is derived from the Protoslavic word "kusiti", which is itself derived from Gothic "kausajn" meaning "to try", "to attempt". This may indicate that the wording belongs to the alchemy kitchen and court of Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor. Also, hocus may mean "to cheat" in Latin or a distorted form of the wordhoc, "this". Combination of the two words may give a sense, especially both meanings together "this attempt/experiment" and "cheated attempt/experiment".
Dog Latin
According to the Oxford English Dictionary the term originates from hax pax max Deus adimax, a pseudo-Latin phrase used as a magical formula by conjurors. Some believe it originates from a corruption or parody of the Catholic liturgy of the Eucharist, which contains the phrase “Hoc est enim corpus meum”, meaning This is my body. This explanation goes back to speculations by the AnglicanprelateJohn Tillotson, who wrote in 1694: This claim is substantiated by the fact that in the Netherlands, the wordsHocus pocus are usually accompanied by the additional words pilatus pas, and this is said to be based on a post-Reformation parody of the traditional Catholic rite of transubstantiation during Mass, being a Dutch corruption of the Latin words "Hoc est corpus meum" and the credo, which reads in part, "sub Pontio Pilatopassus et sepultus est", meaning under Pontius Pilate he suffered and was buried. In a similar way the phrase is in Scandinavia usually accompanied by filiokus, a corruption of the term filioque, from the Latin version of the Nicene Creed, meaning “and from the Son”. The variant spelling filipokus is common in Russia, a predominantly Eastern Orthodox nation, as well as certain other post-Soviet states. Additionally, the word for "stage trick" in Russian, fokus, is derived from hocus pocus.
Magician's name
Others believe that it is an appeal to the folkloric Norse magician Ochus Bochus: According to Sharon Turner in The History of the Anglo-Saxons, they were believed to be derived from Ochus Bochus, a magician and demon of the north.
Nonsense word
As an alternative to other theories, it may simply be pseudo-Latin with no meaning, made up to impress people:
