Spellcast

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Performed a magical incantation or ritual to produce a supernatural effect on a person, object, or place
2. Invoked mystical words or gestures to bring about an enchantment, curse, or other magical result
3. Worked magic by chanting or gesturing so that a supernatural force took hold of the target

Etymology: "Spellcast" is a back-formation, a word created by removing a supposed suffix from an existing word. It was formed from "spellcaster" and "spellcasting," which came first, and it combines the two familiar words "spell" and "cast." The sense is literal: to cast a spell is to perform a magical incantation, and "cast" in this sense echoes the older idea of throwing or launching something, as if the words of enchantment were flung at a target. Because the verb was built backwards from the nouns, it reads as a plain compound rather than a word with a distinct history of its own. Its meaning follows directly from the two parts, so there is little beyond that to trace.

Synonyms: enchant, bewitch, hex