Word: 'prestige' • Extended Annotations
Word: 'prestige' • Extended Annotations
prestige, noun
1650s, "trick, illusion, imposture"
from Latin praestigium "delusion, illusion"
in the early 19th century, used in the sense of "an illusion as to one's personal merit or importance; a flattering illusion"
prestigious, adjective
1540s, "practicing illusion or magic, juggling; deluding, deceptive"
from Latin praestigious "full of tricks," from praestigiae "juggler's tricks"
Until the 19th century - a derogatory sense
1895 - marked as obsolete in the Century Dictionary
1913 - "having dazzling influence"
☣ Evidently, what used to be known as tricks, illusion, and imposture has become a commanding position in people's minds.
The primary usage of the word prestigious is a complete perversion of its original sense ("practicing illusion, deceptive, deluding").
~☉~ | lucid definition; added layer of lucidity, or aethereal context |
⚜ | classic definition |
☣ | artificium definition; usually words which have undergone a warped evolution, or a complete perversion of the original sense |