Ensorcel

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To enchant or bewitch an individual by means of magic, often leading to a state of mesmerization or fascination
2. To use magic to charm or captivate someone by casting a spell
3. To employ supernatural power to fascinate or hold someone's attention

Etymology: Medieval French gave English this verb through a chain of Latin words that meant "fate" and "lot." The Latin "sors" could mean a lot drawn to reveal a decision, or an oracular response, so the Old French "sorcier" carried a sense of someone who could read or shape destiny. Old French "ensorceler" then built on that noun with the prefix "en-," roughly "to cause," to mean to cast a spell, enchant, or captivate. English adopted the verb in that enchanting sense, and the Oxford English Dictionary's entry for it is dated 1891. The root "sors" also gave English a much more ordinary word, "sort," though the two came into English by different routes. Its deeper ancestor, reconstructed as "*ser-," meant "to bind," the same idea behind a fate or lot that ties a person's future in place.