English Explanatory Dictionary

spell

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
  2. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.
  3. Speech, discourse.
verb
  1. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.
verb
  1. To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.
  2. To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.
  3. Of letters: to compose (a word).
  4. To clarify; to explain in detail.
  5. To indicate that (some event) will occur; typically followed by a single-word noun.
  6. To constitute; to measure.
  7. To speak, to declaim.
  8. To tell; to relate; to teach.
  9. To notate or indicate a pitch, interval, or chord using a particular enharmonic spelling.
verb
  1. To work in place of (someone).
  2. To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.
  3. To rest from work for a time.
noun
  1. A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.
  2. A definite period (of work or other activity).
  3. An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); by extension, a relatively short distance.
  4. A period of rest; time off.
  5. A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc.
  6. An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler.
noun
  1. A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.
  2. The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

spĕl /spɛl/ en-us-spell.ogg en-au-spell.ogg

Word forms

spell spells spelling spelled spelt

Etymology

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”).

Synonyms

cantrip incantation chantment charm craft dwimmer enchantment hex magic magic spell makutu mojo obeah pishogue rune spell spellword wanga curse bespell enspell spellbind bechat becry beglammer bewitch conjure enchant englamour ensorcell forspeak glamour jinx maleficiate spellcast witch comprise forebode mean signify

Derived words

bespell binding spell bind spell byspel enspell Gospel magic spell money spell spellbinder spellbinding spellbind spellbound spellbook spellcaster spellcasting spellcraft spellfire spellful spellmaker spellmaking spellmistress spellmonger spellproof spellsmith spellsword spellthief spellweaver spellword spellwork staring spell tet spell under a spell unspell counterspell spellmaster fingerspell forespell how do you spell this word it doesn't matter what they say about you as long as they spell your name right misspell outspell overspell respell spellable spellathon spell check spell checker spell doom spelldown speller spelling spell it out spello spell-off spell one's name spell out spell someone's name spell things out spell trouble spell off
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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