Definitions of spell [ɛl]

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Definition of 'spell'

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

1. (v.t.) spell
to name, write, or otherwise give the letters, in order, of (a word, syllable, etc.):
Did I spell your name right?

2.  spell
(of letters) to form (a word, syllable, etc.):
Y-e-s spells yes.

3.  spell
to read letter by letter or with difficulty (often fol. by out).

4.  spell
to signify; amount to:
This delay spells disaster for us.

5. (v.i.) spell
to name, write, or give the letters of words, syllables, etc., esp. correctly.

6.  spell
to express words by letters:
to spell in front of the children.

7.  spell
spell out,

8.  spell
to explain something plainly, so that the meaning is unmistakable:
Must I spell it out for you?

9.  spell
to write out in full:
The title “Ph.D.” is seldom spelled out.

10.  spell
to discern, as by study.

11. (n.) spell
a word or phrase supposed to have magic power; incantation.

12.  spell
a state or period of enchantment:
living under a spell.

13.  spell
any dominating or irresistible influence; fascination:
the spell of fine music.

14. (n.) spell
a continuous period of work or other activity:
to take a spell at the wheel.

15.  spell
a turn of work so taken.

16.  spell
a bout, fit, or period of anything experienced:
a spell of coughing.

17.  spell
an indefinite period:
Come visit us for a spell.

18.  spell
a period of weather of a specified kind:
a hot spell.

19.  spell
Archaic. a shift of workers relieving another.

20. (v.t.) spell
to take the place of for a time; relieve:
Let me spell you at the wheel.

21. (v.i.) spell
to take turns at a job.

Etymology: (1585–95; (v.) alter. of earlier spele to stand instead of, relieve, spare, ME spelen, OE spelian; akin to OE spala, gespelia a substitute)

Definition of 'spell'

Princeton's WordNet

1. (noun) enchantment, spell, trance
a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

2. (noun) go, spell, tour, turn
a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
"it's my go"; "a spell of work"

3. (noun) while, piece, spell, patch
a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition
"he was here for a little while"; "I need to rest for a piece"; "a spell of good weather"; "a patch of bad weather"

4. (verb) spell, magic spell, magical spell, charm
a verbal formula believed to have magical force
"he whispered a spell as he moved his hands"; "inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese"

5. (verb) spell, spell out
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
"How do you spell this word?" "We had to spell out our names for the police officer"

6. (verb) spell, import
indicate or signify
"I'm afraid this spells trouble!"

7. (verb) spell, write
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"

8. (verb) spell
relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn
"She spelled her husband at the wheel"

9. (verb) spell
place under a spell

10. (verb) spell
take turns working
"the workers spell every four hours"

Definition of 'spell'

Kernerman English Learner’s Dictionary

1. (verb) spell
to choose or be the letters needed to make a word
How do you spell your name?; I've never been able to spell.

2. spell
to be an indication or sign
a recent polls that spells trouble for the current president

3. (noun) spell
a short period of time
He spent a short spell in France before college.

4. spell
magic words said to make sth happen
The witch cast a spell on him.

Definition of 'spell'

Webster Dictionary

1. (noun) spell
a spelk, or splinter

2. (noun) spell
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

3. (noun) spell
the time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks

4. (noun) spell
one of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells

5. (noun) spell
a gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell

6. (noun) spell
a story; a tale

7. (noun) spell
a stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm

8. (verb) spell
to supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman

9. (verb) spell
to tell; to relate; to teach

10. (verb) spell
to put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm

11. (verb) spell
to constitute; to measure

12. (verb) spell
to tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography

13. (verb) spell
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

14. (verb) spell
to form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing

15. (verb) spell
to study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study

Definitions of 'spell'

The New Hacker's Dictionary

1. spell
Syn. incantation.

Translation of 'spell'

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

Sense: to name or give in order the letters of (a word) I asked him to spell his name for me.
Afrikaans: spel	Arabic: يَتَهَجّى الإسْم	Bulgarian: казвам буква по буква
Brazilian: soletrar	Czech: hláskovat	German: buchstabieren
Danish: stave	Greek: συλλαβίζω	Spanish: deletrear
Estonian: tähthaaval ütlema	Farsi: هجي كردن	Finnish: tavata
French: épeler	Hebrew: לְאָייֵת	Hindi: ठीक हिज्जे करना
Croatian: sricati, izgovarati slovo	Hungarian: betűz	Indonesian: mengeja
Icelandic: stafa	Italian: compitare	Japanese: つづりを言う
Korean: 철자를 말하다	Lithuanian: (pa)sakyti/(pa)rašyti, (p	Latvian: nosaukt pa burtiem
Malay: mengeja	Dutch: spellen	Norwegian: stave
Polish: literować	Persian: هجي كردن	Pashto: هجا کول
Portuguese: soletrar	Romanian: a spune pe litere, a face	Russian: произносить или писать по
Slovak: hláskovať	Slovenian: črkovati	Serbian: spelovati
Swedish: stava	Thai: อ่านสะกดคำ	Turkish: hecelemek, harf harf söyl
Taiwanese: 拼寫	Ukrainian: вимовляти по літерах; чит	Urdu: ہجّے کرنا
Vietnamese: đánh vần	Chinese: 拼写
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