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charming

[chahr-ming]
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adjective
  1. pleasing; delightful: a charming child.
  2. using charm; exercising magic power.
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Origin of charming

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at charm1, -ing2
Related formscharm·ing·ly, adverbcharm·ing·ness, nounun·charm·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. lovely, winning, winsome, engaging.

charm1

[chahrm]
noun
  1. a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty: charm of manner; the charm of a mountain lake.
  2. a trait or feature imparting this power.
  3. charms, attractiveness.
  4. a trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace, etc.
  5. something worn or carried on one's person for its supposed magical effect; amulet.
  6. any action supposed to have magical power.
  7. the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.
  8. a verse or formula credited with magical power.
  9. Physics. a quantum number assigned the value +1 for one kind of quark, −1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks. Symbol: CCompare charmed quark.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant: She charmed us with her grace.
  2. to act upon (someone or something) with or as with a compelling or magical force: to charm a bird from a tree.
  3. to endow with or protect by supernatural powers.
  4. to gain or influence through personal charm: He charmed a raise out of his boss.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to be fascinating or pleasing.
  2. to use charms.
  3. to act as a charm.
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Origin of charm1

1250–1300; Middle English charme < Old French < Latin carminem, accusative of carmen song, magical formula < *canmen (by dissimilation), equivalent to can(ere) to sing + -men noun suffix
Related formscharm·ed·ly [chahr-mid-lee] /ˈtʃɑr mɪd li/, adverbcharm·er, nouncharm·less, adjectivecharm·less·ly, adverb

Synonyms

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1. attractiveness, allurement. 4. bauble. 5. talisman. 6. enchantment, spell. 8. spell. 10. fascinate, captivate, entrance, enrapture, ravish; allure, bewitch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

alluringpleasantglamorouslikableamiableprovocativefascinatingcuteabsorbingsweetappealingengagingelegantdelightfulengrossinginvitinggracefullovelycharismaticlovable

Examples from the Web for charming

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Thus she ran on; and then wanted me 'to see the charming man,' as she called him.

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • Yet my man was not half so—so what, my dear—to be sure Lovelace is a charming fellow.

    Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)

    Samuel Richardson

  • It is a charming spot, even in the gloom of a wintry afternoon.

  • But it is this peculiar difference which renders them interesting and charming to the spectator.

  • So, when I tried to describe the most charming girl of whom I could think, I was describing you.

British Dictionary definitions for charming

charming

adjective
  1. delightful; pleasant; attractive
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Derived Formscharmingly, adverb

charm1

noun
  1. the quality of pleasing, fascinating, or attracting people
  2. a pleasing or attractive feature
  3. a small object worn or kept for supposed magical powers of protection; amulet; talisman
  4. a trinket worn on a bracelet
  5. a magic spell; enchantment
  6. a formula or action used in casting such a spell
  7. physics an internal quantum number of certain elementary particles, used to explain some scattering experiments
  8. like a charm perfectly; successfully
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verb
  1. to attract or fascinate; delight greatly
  2. to cast a magic spell on
  3. to protect, influence, or heal, supposedly by magic
  4. (tr) to influence or obtain by personal charmhe charmed them into believing him
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Word Origin

C13: from Old French charme, from Latin carmen song, incantation, from canere to sing

charm2

noun
  1. Southwest English dialect a loud noise, as of a number of people chattering or of birds singing
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Word Origin

C16: variant of chirm
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for charming

charm

v.

c.1300, "to recite or cast a magic spell," from Old French charmer (13c.) "to enchant, to fill (someone) with desire (for something); to protect, cure, treat; to maltreat, harm," from Late Latin carminare, from Latin carmen (see charm (n.)). In Old French used alike of magical and non-magical activity. In English, "to win over by treating pleasingly, delight" from mid-15c. Related: Charmed; charming. Charmed (short for I am charmed) as a conventional reply to a greeting or meeting is attested by 1825.

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charm

n.

c.1300, "incantation, magic charm," from Old French charme (12c.) "magic charm, magic, spell; incantation, song, lamentation," from Latin carmen "song, verse, enchantment, religious formula," from canere "to sing" (see chant (v.)), with dissimilation of -n- to -r- before -m- in intermediate form *canmen (for a similar evolution, see Latin germen "germ," from *genmen). The notion is of chanting or reciting verses of magical power.

A yet stronger power than that of herb or stone lies in the spoken word, and all nations use it both for blessing and cursing. But these, to be effective, must be choice, well knit, rhythmic words (verba concepta), must have lilt and tune; hence all that is strong in the speech wielded by priest, physician, magician, is allied to the forms of poetry. [Jacob Grimm, "Teutonic Mythology" (transl. Stallybrass), 1883]

Sense of "pleasing quality" evolved 17c. Meaning "small trinket fastened to a watch-chain, etc." first recorded 1865. Quantum physics sense is from 1964. To work like a charm (figuratively) is recorded by 1824.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
charming in Science

charm

[chärm]
  1. One of the flavors of quarks, contributing to the charm number-a quantum number-for hadrons.
  2. A charmed particle is a particle that contains at least one charmed quark or charmed antiquark. The charmed quark was hypothesized to account for the longevity of the J/psi particle and to explain differences in the behavior of leptons and hadrons. See more at flavor.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with charming

charm

In addition to the idioms beginning with charm

  • charmed life
  • charm the pants off

also see:

  • (charm the) pants off
  • work like a charm
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.