Definitions for spell
spɛlspell

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

1. enchantment, spell, trancenoun

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

2. go, spell, tour, turnnoun

   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, patchnoun

   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, charmverb

   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 outverb

   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, importverb

   indicate or signify

   "I'm afraid this spells trouble!"

7. spell, writeverb

   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. spellverb

   relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn

   "She spelled her husband at the wheel"

9. spellverb

   place under a spell

10. spellverb

    take turns working

    "the workers spell every four hours"

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

1. Spellnoun

   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. Spellverb

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellnoun

   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. Spellverb

   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. Spellverb

    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. Spellverb

    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. Spellverb

    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. Spellverb

    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. Spellverb

    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. Spellverb

    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.

Matched Categories

1. • Alternate
   • Bewitch
   • Mean
   • Psychological State
   • Relieve
   • Time

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. Mark Twain:

   I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.

2. Henrik Stenson:

   I was battling a bit of fatigue and when you're in a bad spell, you're tired, you don't have the energy to practise and get going. Then it becomes a bad cycle.

3. Patrick Newport:

   Housing starts should climb again next month as the spring selling season begins. However, if sales fail to lift single-family permits this spring, it could spell trouble for the single-family market.

4. Jacques Cousteau:

   The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

5. Laura Bush:

   You till be glad to know the President is practicing safe snacks. in reference to her husband's fainting spell caused by a pretzel

Images & Illustrations of spell

Popularity rank by frequency of use