prestigiatorn.

1595 Pedlers Prophecie Prol. 16 The falshood and vanities of these prestigiators, Saint Augustine..confuteth and proueth them..blasphemers and verie Athaists.

1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. ii. vi. §7. 321 Præstigiators are such as dazell mens eies, and make them seeme to see what they see not.

1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness iv. iii. 105 This cunning Prestigiator took the advantage of so high a place to set off his Representations the more lively.

1784 J. White Bampton Lect. iii. 141 Augustus..had published very rigorous edicts against the whole race of Præstigiators.

1844 Times 25 Apr. 6/2 This prince of prestigiators, or professor of natural philosophy, as he modestly styles himself, whose deeds, however, appear to be the remotest from anything natural..has again established himself at the St. James's Theatre.

1863 C. Kingsley Water-babies vii. 290 There came running to him all the conjurors, fortune-tellers, astrologers, prophesiers, projectors, prestigiators, as many as were in those parts.

1936 Classical Philol. 31 140 The earliest noun for a man possessing the powers of a magus seems to have been praestigiator.

1952 Oshkosh (Wisconsin) Daily Northwestern 10 Sept. 6/1 The cartoon..showed a slick sleight-of-hand artist, representing the government, dangling a bundle of ‘known taxes’ before the eyes of a taxpayer to distract his attention, while the prestigiator deftly extracted the taxpayer's pocketbook.

2002 Independent (Nexis) 21 May (Features section) 6 She worked the crowd like an auburn prestigiator, keeping 100 conversational plates spinning.