SPELL

spell, magic spell, magical spell, charm

(noun) a verbal formula believed to have magical force; “he whispered a spell as he moved his hands”; “inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese”

enchantment, spell, trance

(noun) a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

while, piece, spell, patch

(noun) a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition; “he was here for a little while”; “I need to rest for a piece”; “a spell of good weather”; “a patch of bad weather”

go, spell, tour, turn

(noun) a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else); “it’s my go”; “a spell of work”

spell

(verb) take turns working; “the workers spell every four hours”

spell, import

(verb) indicate or signify; “I’m afraid this spells trouble!”

spell, spell out

(verb) orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of; “How do you spell this word?”; “We had to spell out our names for the police officer”

spell

(verb) place under a spell

spell, write

(verb) write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word); “He spelled the word wrong in this letter”

spell

(verb) relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn; “She spelled her husband at the wheel”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Spell (plural Spells)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Spell is the 6404^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 5313 individuals. Spell is most common among White (77.66%) and Black/African American (18.46%) individuals.

Anagrams

• Pells, pells

Etymology 1

Noun

spell (plural spells)

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. [from 16th c.]

Synonyms: cantrip, incantation

A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. [from 16th c.]

Synonym: cantrip

(obsolete) Speech, discourse. [8th-15th c.]

Verb

spell (third-person singular simple present spells, present participle spelling, simple past and past participle spelled)

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

Etymology 2

Verb

spell (third-person singular simple present spells, present participle spelling, simple past and past participle (mostly UK) spelt or spelled)

(transitive, obsolete) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. [from 14th c.]

(transitive, sometimes with “out”) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. [from 16th c.]

(intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words.

(transitive) Of letters: to compose (a word). [from 19th c.]

(transitive, figuratively, with “out”) To clarify; to explain in detail. [from 20th c.]

(transitive) To indicate that (some event) will occur. [from 19th c.]

To constitute; to measure.

(obsolete) To speak, to declaim. [9th-16th c.]

(obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach.

Synonyms

• (to indicate that some event will occur): forebode; mean; signify

• (to work in place of someone else): relieve

• (to compose a word): (informal) comprise

Etymology 3

Verb

spell (third-person singular simple present spells, present participle spelling, simple past and past participle spelt or spelled)

(transitive) To work in place of (someone).

(transitive) To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.

(intransitive, colloquial) To rest from work for a time.

Noun

spell (plural spells)

A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour. [from 16th c.]

(informal) A definite period (of work or other activity). [from 18th c.]

(colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); by extension, a relatively short distance. [from 18th c.]

A period of rest; time off. [from 19th c.]

(colloquial, US) A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc. [from 19th c.]

(cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler. [from 20th c.]

Etymology 4

Noun

spell (plural spells)

(dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.

The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.

Anagrams

• Pells, pells

Source: Wiktionary

Spell, n. Etym: [OE. speld, AS. speld a spill to light a candle with; akin to D. speld a pin, OD. spelle, G. spalten to split, OHG. spaltan, MHG. spelte a splinter, Icel. spjald a square tablet, Goth. spilda a writing tablet. Cf. Spillsplinter, roll of paper, Spell to tell the letters of.]

Definition: A spelk, or splinter. [Obs.] Holland.

Spell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Spelling.] Etym: [AS. spelian to supply another's place.]

Definition: To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

Spell, n.

1. The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or wathing; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spellat the pumps; a spell at the masthead. A spell at the wheel isc called a trick. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

2. The time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks. Nothing new hass happened in this quarter, except the setting in of a severe spell of cold weather. Washington.

3. One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells. [R.] Their toil is so extreme that they can not endure it above four hours in a day, but are succeeded by spells. Garew.

4. A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell. [Local, U.S.]

Spell, n.Etym: [AS. spell a saying, tale, speech; akin to OS. & OHG. spel, Icel. spjall,Goth. spill. Cf. Gospel, Spell to tell the letters of.]

1. A story; a tale. [Obs.] "Hearken to my spell." Chaucer.

2. A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm. Start not; her actions shall be holy as You hear my spell is lawful. Shak.

Spell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spelled ( or Spelt (; p. pr. & vb. n. Spelling.] Etym: [OE. spellen, spellien, tell, relate, AS. spellian, fr. spell a saying, tale; akin to MHG. spellen to relate, Goth. spill.e Spell a tale. In sense 4 and those following, OE. spellen, perhaps originally a different word, and from or influenced by spell a splinter, from the use of a piece of wood to point to the letters in schools: cf. D. spellen to spell. Cf. Spell splinter.]

1. To tell; to relate; to teach. [Obs.] Might I that legend find, By fairies spelt in mystic rhymes. T. Warton.

2. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. "Spelled with words of power." Dryden. He was much spelled with Eleanor Talbot. Sir G. Buck.

3. To constitute; to measure. [Obs.] The Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together did spell but one in effect. Fuller.

4. To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography. The word "satire" ought to be spelled with i, and not with y. Dryden.

5. To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; -- usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible. To spell out a God in the works of creation. South. To sit spelling and observing divine justice upon every accident. Milton.

Spell, v. i.

1. To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing. When what small knowledge was, in them did dwell, And he a god, who could but read or spell. Dryden.

2. To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study. [Obs.] Where I may sit and rightly spell Of every star that heaven doth shew, And every herb that sips the dew. Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

SPELL

Proper noun

Statistics

Anagrams

Etymology 1

Noun

Verb

Etymology 2

Verb

Synonyms

Etymology 3

Verb

Noun

Etymology 4

Noun

Anagrams

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