The story
Pseudo-Latinism, derived from ellipsis of hocus-pocus. The verb is from the noun.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
hocus
Today it means: To play a trick on, to trick (someone); to hoax; to cheat. Full definition →
Today it means: To play a trick on, to trick (someone); to hoax; to cheat. Full definition →
Pseudo-Latinism, derived from ellipsis of hocus-pocus. The verb is from the noun.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.