spell

Meaning

Noun

1. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
2. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.
3. (obsolete) Speech, discourse.

Verb

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

Verb

1. (intransitive, sometimes, transitive) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.
3. (transitive) Of letters: to compose (a word).
4. (figuratively, transitive) To clarify; to explain in detail.
5. (transitive) To indicate that (some event) will occur; typically followed by a single-word noun.
6. To constitute; to measure.
7. (obsolete) To speak, to declaim.
8. (obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach.

Verb

1. (transitive) To work in place of (someone).
2. (transitive) To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.
3. (colloquial, intransitive) To rest from work for a time.

Synonyms

charm

incantation

enchantment

curse

magic

🪄

sorcery

fascination

curses

period

hex

mean

magic spell

magical spell

verse

signify

witchcraft

trance

time

⌚

write

✍️

bewitch

exorcism

turn

term

spell out

season

moment

attraction

shift

denote

conjuration

while

fit

epoch

relieve

malediction

tour

replace

age

rest

substitute

patch

delusion

magic word

bout

lifetime

burst

letter

piece

imply

import

Translations

épeler

deletrear

sillabare

Zauber

charme

spellen

buchstabieren

sort

Zauberspruch

soletrar

verset

hechizo

compitare

incantesimo

betovering

Pronounced as (IPA)

/spɛl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: spell

Inherited from Old English: spell

Cognate with German: Spill

Cognate with Icelandic: spjall

Cognate with Albanian: fjalë

Inherited from Middle English: spellen

Cognate with French: épeler

Inherited from Old English: spellian

Inherited from Middle English: spelen

Inherited from Old English: spelian

Cognate with Middle English: spale

Cognate with Old English: spala

Inherited from Middle English: spele

In summary

From Middle English spell, spel, from Old English spell (“news, story”), from Proto-Germanic *spellą (“speech, account, tale”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to tell”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to speak, to sound”) with the s-mobile prefix. Cognate with dialectal German Spill, Icelandic spjall (“discussion, talk”), spjalla (“to discuss, to talk”), guðspjall (“gospel”) and Albanian fjalë (“word”).