A magician or performer who creates illusions and tricks that deceive the audience about what they're seeing.
From Latin 'illudere' (to mock or trick) + '-ist' (one who practices). The term emerged in English in the 1800s as stage magic became a popular entertainment.
Illusionists are honest liars—they openly deceive you for entertainment, and magic reveals something fascinating about human perception: our brains are constantly guessing about what's real based on incomplete information. Stage magicians have actually taught neuroscientists a lot about how attention and misdirection work in the brain.
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