Galder

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A chanted charm or magical incantation, drawn from Old Norse tradition, used to bring about a desired effect
2. An enchanted chant or spell of the kind practised in ancient Norse magic to influence fate or the natural world
3. A ritual verse or sung formula believed to work supernatural power, as in old Scandinavian sorcery

Etymology: "Galder" is a learned borrowing that English took from Middle English "galder," meaning a magic spell or incantation. Its ancestor was Old English "galdor," which descended from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "song" or "incantation," the same sense that ran through the related Old Norse word "galdr." In those early Germanic societies, a spell and a song were close kin: chanted words were believed to carry power, and the sound of the chant was itself the magic. The word's Old Norse relative is especially telling, because "galdr" is tied to the Norse tradition of chanted charms, where rhythm and repetition were thought to shape events. English inherited the sense of sung incantation, and that sense of ritual sound stayed attached to the word even as it became a term for spells in general.