Definitions for spell
spɛlspell

Princeton's WordNet(3.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. enchantment, spell, trance(noun)

   a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

2. go, spell, tour, turn(noun)

   a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

   "it's my go"; "a spell of work"

3. while, piece, spell, patch(noun)

   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. spell, magic spell, magical spell, charm(verb)

   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. spell, spell out(verb)

   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. spell, import(verb)

   indicate or signify

   "I'm afraid this spells trouble!"

7. spell, write(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"

8. spell(verb)

   relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn

   "She spelled her husband at the wheel"

9. spell(verb)

   place under a spell

10. spell(verb)

    take turns working

    "the workers spell every four hours"

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Spell(noun)

   a spelk, or splinter

   Etymology: [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.]

2. Spell(verb)

   to supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman

   Etymology: [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.]

3. Spell(noun)

   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

   Etymology: [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.]

4. Spell(noun)

   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

   Etymology: [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.]

5. Spell(noun)

   one of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells

   Etymology: [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.]

6. Spell(noun)

   a gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell

   Etymology: [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.]

7. Spell(noun)

   a story; a tale

   Etymology: [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.]

8. Spell(noun)

   a stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm

   Etymology: [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.]

9. Spell(verb)

   to tell; to relate; to teach

   Etymology: [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.]

10. Spell(verb)

    to put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm

    Etymology: [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.]

11. Spell(verb)

    to constitute; to measure

    Etymology: [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.]

12. Spell(verb)

    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

    Etymology: [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.]

13. Spell(verb)

    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

    Etymology: [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.]

14. Spell(verb)

    to form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing

    Etymology: [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.]

15. Spell(verb)

    to study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study

    Etymology: [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.]

Freebase(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Spell

   Spell was a collaboration between Rose McDowall and Boyd Rice. The two cover a number of songs from the 1960s and 1970s, often modifying the lyrics to make them darker. For instance the line in the original song Seasons in the Sun: "Goodbye Papa, please pray for me" becomes "Goodbye Papa, don't pray for me". Several references to Hell and death are added as well.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Spell

   spel, n. any form of words supposed to possess magical power: fascination.—v.t. to tell or name the letters of: to name, write, or print the proper letters of.—v.i. to form words with the proper letters: to study:—pr.p. spell′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. spelled, spelt.—adjs. Spell′able, capable of being spelled; Spell′-bound, Spell′-stopped (Shak.), entranced, fascinated.—ns. Spell′er, one who spells: one skilled in spelling; Spell′ing, act of spelling or naming the letters of words: orthography; Spell′ing-bee, a competition in spelling; Spell′ing-book, a book for teaching to spell; Spell′-work, that which is wrought by spells or charms: power of magic.—Spell backward, to spell, repeat, or arrange in reverse order: to understand in a contrary sense: to turn wrong-side out, misconstrue one's qualities; Spell baker, to do something difficult, that word being one of the earliest dissyllables in children's books. [A.S. spell, a narrative; Goth. spill, Ice. spjall, a tale.]

2. Spell

   spel, v.t. to take another's place at work:—pr.p. spell′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. spelled.—n. a turn at work: a short period indefinitely: an interval of rest: a bad turn. [A.S. spelian, to act for another; cf. Dut. spelen, Ger. spielen, to play.]

The New Hacker's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. spell

   Syn. incantation.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. spell

   The period wherein one or more sailors are employed in particular duties demanding continuous exertion. Such are the spells to the hand-lead in sounding, to working the pumps, to look out on the mast-head, &c., and to steer the ship, which last is generally called the "trick at the wheel." Spel-ian, Anglo-Saxon, "to supply another's room." Thus, Spell ho! is the call for relief.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. spell

   Song lyrics by spell -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by spell on the Lyrics.com website.

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'spell' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1826

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'spell' in Nouns Frequency: #2019

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'spell' in Verbs Frequency: #711

Anagrams for spell »

1. Pells

How to pronounce spell?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say spell in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of spell in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of spell in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of spell in a Sentence

1. Binyomin Mermelstein:

   So they spell something wrong -- OK, they spelled something wrong. I don't see an issue, i try to write things for people in our community, and I don't know the grammar or the rules you have to use, and people would sometimes laugh at how I write, but that doesn't make a difference.

2. The Guardian:

   Sometimes we will have a good 40 or 50 below spell for a week or two at a time. So you’re either going to love it or hate it, I suppose.

3. Amber Heard:

   They pointed to no other working romantic lead, no other actress, that was out, i didn’t come out. I was never in. It’s limiting, that LGBTQ thing. It served a function as an umbrella for marginalized people to whom rights were being denied, but it loses its efficacy because of the nuanced nature of humanity. As we become more educated and expand the facts of our nature, we keep adding letters. It was a great shield, but now we’re stuck behind it. It’s so important to resist labels. I don’t care how many letters you add. At some point, it’s going to spell ‘WE ARE HUMAN.’.

4. Will Rogers:

   Nothing you can't spell will ever work.

5. Eric Hoffer:

   To spell out the obvious is often to call it in question.

Images & Illustrations of spell

Popularity rank by frequency of use