Cantrip is a word of Scots origin to mean a magical spell of any kind, or one which reads the same forwards and backwards. It can also be a witch's trick, or a sham. It is possibly derived from the Gaelic canntaireachd, a piper's mnemonic chant.

What is the difference between a cantrip and spell?

A Spell is something that takes a spell slot and typically is used in a way that can benefit the player in a way of combat or identifying magical items and such. A cantrip is like a minor spell they cant cast as many times as they like without penalty of items. Cantrips are free "Level 0" spells.

How do cantrips work?

A cantrip is a spell that can be cast at will, without using a spell slot and without being prepared in advance. Repeated practice has fixed the spell in the caster's mind and infused the caster with the magic needed to produce the Effect over and over. A cantrip's Spell Level is 0.