Beguile

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /bɪˈɡaɪl/

Definitions

1. To deceive someone through charm or flattery while simultaneously entertaining them to make tedious moments enjoyable
2. Charm or enchant a person into deception or distraction, or engage them pleasantly to pass time agreeably
3. To attract or delight someone with charm or allure ; to mislead or trick someone using false charm or flattery

Etymology: Beguile is built from the prefix "be-" and the noun "guile," meaning cunning or deceit. The prefix once had the force of "over" or "about," so the verb meant something like to surround someone with guile, to ensnare them through trickery. Middle English had "begilen" and "begylen," and Middle Dutch had a close relative, "begilen," which points to a shared Germanic inheritance rather than a borrowing from Latin or French. The sense has softened considerably. Its earliest uses lean toward outright deception, but over time it drifted toward enchantment, so that someone can now be beguiled by a melody or a smile without anyone being cheated. The deceit has not vanished entirely, however, since the word still carries the sense of luring someone into a false belief. A close relative, "bewile," also exists in English, and the two are doublets that came into the language by different routes and ended up as near-synonyms.

Synonyms: charm, entice, attract, lure, captivate

Antonyms: repel, disenchant, turn off, dissuade, bore