Spell

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /spɛl/

Definitions

1. A period of time during which something continues, or to form words by writing or saying letters in the correct order
2. A duration in which an event occurs or the act of creating words by sequentially arranging letters correctly
3. A span in which specific activities take place or the process of articulating letters in the appropriate sequence to form words

Etymology: Spell has at least four unrelated origins that happened to converge on one spelling. The noun most people think of first, a period of time or a stretch of weather, comes from Old English "spell," meaning news, story or tale, and is related to Icelandic "spjall," talk. The sense of a magical formula grew from that same idea of a spoken utterance: words sung or said with power. Spell as a turn of duty or a brief period is a different strand, linked to the Old English verb "spelian," meaning to stand in for someone, which is also where the sense of taking a shift at work comes from. The verb meaning to write or name letters in order comes from a separate line. It entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman "espeler," borrowed from Frankish "spelōn," meaning to tell or speak. The meaning of naming letters emerged from that older sense of reciting, and it merged with the native English verb, so the two streams became one word.

Synonyms: incantation, charm, enchantment, formula, hex

Antonyms: disenchantment, dissolution, removal, break, undoing