Hoax
/hoʊks/noun
A trick or practical joke meant to deceive someone.
Did you know?The word is first recorded in the late 18th century and is often linked to the stage magic slang hocus, probably from the magician’s chant hocus pocus, showing how performance and deception fused in English.
Etymological Timeline
Late 18th Century
English
hoax
“a deception, especially a practical joke”
17th Century
English
hocus
“to cheat or trick; also a magician or conjurer's trick”
17th Century
English
hocus pocus
“a juggler's or magician's formula; nonsense words used to mystify”
Possibly 17th Century
Latin/English
hoc est corpus
““this is the body,” a phrase sometimes proposed as the source of hocus pocus, though this derivation is uncertain”
Late 18th Century
English
hoax
“to deceive by a trick or practical joke”
Explore more surprising origins