Of Ledgers and Legerdemain.....

Interestingly, most accountants of my acquaintance have a fine sense of humor.  So for them the etymologic journey of Ledgers and Legerdemain would seem funny.   But I'm sure none of them allow any funny stuff into the columns of their accounts.

When you think of a ledger, at least in the days before computers, you probably have an image of a big, heavy, dusty book sitting on a special table.  And right you would be.  The word comes from "leggen" one of those typical Old English/Germanic/Dutch/Friesian words that cluttered up the Middle Ages.  It means essentially "to lie".  Oh, not in a dishonest way, just something that sits in one place.  Like a big ol' book.  It is preserved in modern German in the verb "liegen", or the adjective "gelegen", meaning roughly, "It sits over there".

And the more fun sounding Legerdemain?  French of course, early 15th century.  It refers to the actions of a magician or con man.  Specifically the phrase "leger de main" meaning quick of hand.  French usually reached back into Latin more than the Germanic tongues, and in this case the word leger comes from the Latin levitas, meaning light.  As in levity and levitate!

So there you have it.  Two words that sound similar but one means a heavy book and the other light fingers!