Incantacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of words chanted or spoken as a magical charm, meant to produce a supernatural effect
2. A ritual recitation of mystical phrases believed to summon spirits or work enchantment
3. The chanting of a magic formula, especially in Middle English writing, to cast a spell

Etymology: In Latin, "incantare" meant to chant a spell over someone or something, built from "in-" and "cantare," "to sing." The magic was in the singing itself, so a charm was literally a sung formula. The same Latin verb gave English "enchant" by a different route: it passed through Old French "enchanter," which is why "enchant" and "incantation" are cousins that took separate paths into English. "Incantacioun" is a Middle English spelling of the noun "incantation," formed from the Latin "incantatio," the act of chanting a spell. The Old French form "incantacion" would have carried it into English. Across the centuries the sense stayed close to its origin, describing words spoken or sung as part of a magical rite, and the spelling gradually settled into the modern form.