enchant

[en-chant, -chahnt]

See more synonyms for enchant on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to subject to magical influence; bewitch: fairytales about witches who enchant handsome princes and beautiful maidens.
to delight to a high degree: Her gaiety and wit have enchanted us all.
to impart a magic quality or effect to.

Origin of enchant

1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French enchanter < Latin incantāre to put a spell on; see incantation

Related formsun·en·chant·ed, adjective

Synonyms for enchant

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

2. fascinate, attract; captivate, enrapture.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for enchant

gratify, bewitch, fascinate, enthrall, captivate, please, hypnotize, beguile, charm, entice, enrapture, wow, enamor, thrill, entrance, slay, spell, hex, draw, send

Examples from the Web for enchant

Contemporary Examples of enchant

This book does more than enchant; it sharpens your appreciation for the events of your own life.
This Week’s Hot Reads: September 9, 2013
Nicholas Mancusi
September 9, 2013

Historical Examples of enchant

Her singing especially seemed to enchant and fascinate the girl.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
Yes, he said; everything that deceives may be said to enchant.
The Republic
Plato
He was surrounded by all that could enchant the eye and enrapture the imagination.
Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.
Pierce Egan
Oh, you will enchant us with the little instrument, will you not?
What the Moon Saw: and Other Tales
Hans Christian Andersen
There is not one who however he may enchant and strengthen, does not also disappoint us.
Education and the Higher Life
J. L. Spalding

British Dictionary definitions for enchant

enchant

verb (tr)

to cast a spell on; bewitch
to delight or captivate utterly; fascinate; charm

Derived Formsenchanter, nounenchantress, fem n

Word Origin for enchant

C14: from Old French enchanter, from Latin incantāre to chant a spell, from cantāre to chant, from canere to sing

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 enchant

late 14c., literal and figurative, from Old French enchanter "bewitch, charm, cast a spell" (12c.), from Latin incantare (see enchantment). Or perhaps a back-formation from enchantment. Related: Enchanting; enchantingly. Enchanted in weakened sense of "delighted" is from 1590s.