Definition of Spell

1. Verb. Orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of. "We had to spell out our names for the police officer"

Exact synonyms: Spell Out
Specialized synonyms: Misspell
Generic synonyms: Recite
Derivative terms: Speller, Spelling

2. Noun. A psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation.

3. Verb. Indicate or signify. "I'm afraid this spells trouble!"
Exact synonyms: Import
Generic synonyms: Intend, Mean
Derivative terms: Import, Import

4. Noun. A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else). "A spell of work"
Exact synonyms: Go, Tour, Turn
Generic synonyms: Duty Period, Shift, Work Shift
Derivative terms: Go

5. Verb. Write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word). "He spelled the word wrong in this letter"
Exact synonyms: Write
Specialized synonyms: Spell Out, Hyphen, Hyphenate
Derivative terms: Spelling

6. Noun. A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition. "A patch of bad weather"
Exact synonyms: Patch, Piece, While
Generic synonyms: Time
Specialized synonyms: Cold Snap, Cold Spell, Hot Spell, Snap

7. Verb. Relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn. "She spelled her husband at the wheel"
Generic synonyms: Relieve, Take Over

8. Noun. A verbal formula believed to have magical force. "Inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese"

9. Verb. Place under a spell.
Generic synonyms: Bewitch, Enchant, Glamour, Hex, Jinx, Witch
Antonyms: Unspell

10. Verb. Take turns working. "The workers spell every four hours"
Generic synonyms: Alternate, Take Turns

Definition of Spell

1. n. A spelk, or splinter.

2. v. t. To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

3. n. The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the masthead.

4. n. A story; a tale.

5. v. t. To tell; to relate; to teach.

6. v. i. To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.

Definition of Spell

1. Noun. (obsolete) Speech, discourse. (defdate 8th-15th c.) ¹

2. Noun. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

3. Noun. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

4. Noun. (context: Wicca) An incantation with beneficial purposes ¹

5. Verb. (obsolete) To speak, to declaim. (defdate 9th-16th c.) ¹

6. Verb. (transitive, obsolete) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

7. Verb. (transitive sometimes with “out”) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

8. Verb. (transitive) Of letters: to compose (a word). (defdate from 19th c.) ¹

9. Verb. (transitive figuratively) To indicate that (some event) will occur. (defdate from 19th c.) ¹

10. Verb. (transitive figuratively with “out”) To clarify; to explain in detail. (defdate from 20th c.) ¹

11. Noun. (dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood. ¹

12. Verb. (transitive) To work in place of (someone). ¹

13. Verb. (transitive) To rest (someone or something). ¹

14. Noun. A shift (of work); a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

15. Noun. A period of (work or other activity). (defdate from 18th c.) ¹

16. Noun. An indefinite period of time (usually with some qualifying word). (defdate from 18th c.) ¹

17. Noun. A period of rest; time off. (defdate from 19th c.) ¹

18. Noun. (American English) A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc. (defdate from 19th c.) ¹

19. Noun. (cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler. (defdate from 20th c.) ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Spell

1. to name or write the letters of in order [v SPELLED or SPELT, SPELLING, SPELLS]

Medical Definition of Spell

1. 1. To tell; to relate; to teach. "Might I that legend find, By fairies spelt in mystic rhymes." (T. Warton) 2. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. "Spelled with words of power." "He was much spelled with Eleanor Talbot." (Sir G. Buck) 3. To constitute; to measure. "The Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together did spell but one in effect." (Fuller) 4. To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, especially. The proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography. "The word "satire" ought to be spelled with i, and not with y." (Dryden) 5. To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible. "To spell out a God in the works of creation." (South) "To sit spelling and observing divine justice upon every accident." (Milton) Origin: OE. Spellen, spellien, tell, relate, AS. Spellian, fr. Spell a saying, tale; akin to MHG. Spellen to relate, Goth. Spilln.e Spell a tale. In sense 4 and those following, OE. Spellen, perhaps originally a different word, and from or influenced by spell a splinter, from the use of a piece of wood to point to the letters in schools: cf. D. Spellen to spell. Cf. Spell splinter. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Spell

speldrins
spelds
spelean
spelencephaly
speleo-
speleological
speleologically
speleologies
speleologist
speleologists
speleology
speleothem
speleothems
spelk
spelks
spell (current term)
spell-check
spell-checker
spell-off
spell-offs
spell-work
spell check
spell checker
spell checkers
spell off
spell offs
spell out
spell work
spellable
spellathon

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