Etymology

magic cube

Today it means: By analogy with magic square, an n-by-n-by-n arrangement of n³ numbers such that the numbers in each row, in all columns (horizontal and vertical) and in all main diagonals (of which there are 6*n+4) each have the same sum. Full definition →

Hungarian bűvös kocka
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The story

  1. Hungarian · calque ofbűvös kocka
  2. English todaymagic cube

Calque of Hungarian bűvös kocka, the original name (according to Singmaster's Notes on Rubik's 'Magic Cube' and the Wikipedia page) for what later became known in Western markets as Rubik's cube.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.