spell
verb
[ spɛl ]
• write or name the letters that form (a word) in correct sequence.
• "Dolly spelled her name"
• be a sign or characteristic of.
• "she had the chic, efficient look that spells Milan"
Origin:
Middle English: shortening of Old French espeller, from the Germanic base of spell2.
spell
noun
• a form of words used as a magical charm or incantation.
• "a spell is laid on the door to prevent entry"
Similar:
incantation,
charm,
conjuration,
rune,
magic formula,
abracadabra,
sorcery,
magic,
witchcraft,
witchery,
hex,
mojo,
makutu,
Origin:
Old English spel(l) ‘narration’, of Germanic origin.
spell
noun
• a short period.
• "I want to get away from racing for a spell"
Similar:
period,
time,
interval,
season,
stretch,
run,
course,
round,
span,
streak,
snap,
patch,
spot,
spell
verb
• allow (someone) to rest briefly by taking their place in an activity.
• "I got sleepy and needed her to spell me for a while at the wheel"
Origin:
late 16th century: variant of dialect spele ‘take the place of’, of unknown origin. The early sense of the noun was ‘shift of relief workers’.
spell
noun
• a splinter of wood.
Origin:
late Middle English: perhaps a variant of obsolete speld ‘chip, splinter’.
