Editing Hoax (section)

==Etymology==
The English [[philologist]] [[Robert Nares]] (1753–1829) says that the word ''hoax'' was coined in the late 18th century as a contraction of the verb ''[[wikt:hocus|hocus]]'', which means "to cheat", "to impose upon"<ref name="Nares1822">{{cite book|last=Nares|first=Robert |title=A glossary; or, Collection of words ... which have been thought to require illustration, in the works of English authors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OjITAAAAQAAJ&pg=235|year=1822|publisher=R. Triphook|location=London|page=235}}</ref> or (according to [[Merriam-Webster]]) "to befuddle often with drugged liquor."<ref name=MW>{{cite encyclopedia | title = Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Hocus | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hocus?show=0&t=1288021817 | dictionary = [[Merriam-Webster]] | year = 2010 | access-date = 25 October 2010 | archive-date = 1 May 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200501000330/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hocus?show=0&t=1288021817 | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Hocus'' is a shortening of the [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] [[incantation]] ''[[Hocus Pocus (magic)|hocus pocus]]'',<ref name=MW/> whose origin is disputed.<ref>See the [[Hocus Pocus (magic)|Hocus Pocus]] article for more detail.</ref>{{Better source needed|date=June 2017}}