Spell

[spel] or [spɛl]

Definition

(noun.) 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'.

(verb.) take turns working; 'the workers spell every four hours'.

(verb.) indicate or signify; 'I'm afraid this spells trouble!'.

(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'.

(verb.) place under a spell.

(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'.

(verb.) relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn; 'She spelled her husband at the wheel'.

Editor: Paula--From WordNet

Definition

(n.) A spelk, or splinter.

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

(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.

(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.

(n.) One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.

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

(n.) A story; a tale.

(n.) A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.

(v. t.) To tell; to relate; to teach.

(v. t.) To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

(v. t.) To constitute; to measure.

(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.

(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.

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

(v. i.) To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.

Edited by Donnie

Synonyms and Synonymous

n. [1]. Charm, incantation, exorcism.[2]. Turn (at work).[3]. Season, term, period, interval, fit.

v. a. [1]. Represent by letters.[2]. Relieve (by taking a turn at work), help, aid, assist.

Inputed by Joanna

Definition

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.

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.

Editor: Stacy