Enchants

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cast a magical charm or spell on someone or something ; to captivate or fill with great delight and fascination
2. To use magical power to influence or bewitch ; to attract and hold the attention of someone by charm or allure
3. To put under a magical influence by incantation or enchantment ; to enchant someone by extremely pleasing or charming them

Etymology: "Enchants" is the third-person singular form of "enchant," so it traces back to the verb "enchant," which entered English in Middle English as "enchaunten," borrowed from Old French "enchanter." That French verb came from Latin "incantare," meaning to sing or chant a charm over someone, and the Latin root is "cantare," to sing. The original idea was literal: a spell was spoken or sung, and the words themselves did the work. The English word is a doublet of "incant," meaning the same Latin source arrived by a different route. "Incant" was taken directly from Latin, while "enchant" came through French, so the two forms share a root but feel quite different in use. "Incant" stayed a specialist term for chanting spells, whereas "enchant" spread into everyday speech and gradually lost its sense of magic, so that to enchant someone now means to delight them.

Synonyms: charm, delight, captivate, fascinate, bewitch

Antonyms: bore, repel, disgust, alienate, dissatisfy