Definition of spell in English

WordNet

Noun Plural: spells
spell - 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"
		magic spell, magical spell, charm
		oral communication, speech communication, spoken communication, spoken language, voice communication, language, speech the mental faculty or power of vocal communication; "language sets homo sapiens apart from all other animals"
		incantation, conjuration a ritual recitation of words or sounds believed to have a magical effect
spell - a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
		enchantment, trance
		mental condition, mental state, psychological condition, psychological state (psychology) a mental condition in which the qualities of a state are relatively constant even though the state itself may be dynamic; "a manic state"
		possession anything owned or possessed
spell - 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"
		while, piece, patch
		time the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past
		cold snap, cold spell a spell of cold weather
		hot spell a spell of hot weather
spell - a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else); "it's my go"; "a spell of work"
		go, tour, turn
		duty period, work shift, shift the act of moving from one place to another; "his constant shifting disrupted the class"
Verb spells, spelling, spelled
spell - 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"
		spell out
		recite repeat aloud from memory; "she recited a poem"; "The pupil recited his lesson for the day"
		misspell spell incorrectly
spell - place under a spell
		unspell release from a spell
		glamour, hex, witch, jinx, bewitch, enchant cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something
spell - indicate or signify; "I'm afraid this spells trouble!"
		import
		intend, mean have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to return early that night"
spell - 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"
		write
		spell out make explicit; specify in detail; "You should spell out your demands"
		hyphen, hyphenate divide or connect with a hyphen; "hyphenate these words and names"
spell - take turns working; "the workers spell every four hours"
		take turns, alternate do something in turns; "We take turns on the night shift"
spell - relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn; "She spelled her husband at the wheel"
		take over, relieve take over ownership of; of corporations and companies

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Wiktionary

spell (Noun)
Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
spell (Noun)
A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.
spell (Noun)
An incantation with beneficial purposes.
spell (Noun)
A splinter, usually of wood.
spell (Noun)
A shift of work; a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.
spell (Noun)
A period of work or other activity.
spell (Noun)
An indefinite period of time usually with some qualifying word.
spell (Noun)
A period of rest; time off.
spell (Verb)
To work in place of someone.
spell (Verb)
To rest someone or something.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

spell (n.)
A spelk, or splinter.
spell (v. t.)
To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.
spell (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.
spell (n.)
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.
spell (n.)
One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.
spell (n.)
A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell.
spell (n.)
A story; a tale.
spell (n.)
A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
spell (v. t.)
To tell; to relate; to teach.
spell (v. t.)
To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.
spell (v. t.)
To constitute; to measure.
spell (v. t.)
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.
spell (v. t.)
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.
spell (v. i.)
To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.
spell (v. i.)
To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

spell
A words or formula supposed to have magical powers.
spell
A relatively short period of time of indeterminate length.
spell
To say the letters that make up a word, one after the other.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

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.]
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.]

Marine DictionaryUniversal Dictionary of the Marine ⚓️

spell
the period wherein a sailor, or gang of sailors, is employed in a particular exercise, from which they are relieved as soon as the limited time expires. Such are the spells, to the hand-lead in sounding; to the pump; to look out on the mast-head, &c. and to steer the ship; which last, however, is generally called the trick. See STEERING.
Spell also implies the relief, or the return of duty to those services: Thus we say, spell the pump, spell the lead, &c.
To SPILL, to discharge the wind out of the cavity or belly of a sail when it is drawn up in the brails in order to furl or reef it. This is either performed by collecting the sail together, or by bracing its edge to the wind, so as to shiver or be laid aback.

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

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.

Part of speech

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spell, verb, present, 1st person singular of spell (infinitive).
spell, verb (infinitive).
spell, noun, singular of spells.

spell in sign language

Definition of spell Spell

What does spell mean?

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Noun

Verb

Wiktionary

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

Marine DictionaryUniversal Dictionary of the Marine ⚓️

Sailor's Word-BookThe Sailor's Word-Book ⛵

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