enchanting
[en-chan-ting, -chahn-]
- charming; captivating: an enchanting smile.
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Origin of enchanting
enchant
[en-chant, -chahnt]
- 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.
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Origin of enchant
1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French enchanter < Latin incantāre to put a spell on; see incantation
Synonyms
See more synonyms for enchant on Thesaurus.com2. fascinate, attract; captivate, enrapture.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for enchanting
Contemporary Examples
Nathan found Texas enchanting; the land itself, familiar—like the fields he remembered from home.
A table on the three-tiered deck of Louie's Backyard is an enchanting place to dine, especially in the evening.
It is a weirdly beautiful moment, simple but enchanting, like something out of a dream.
The arrival of the enchanting Carla, however, changes everything.
The result is something harrowing, enchanting, and utterly original.
Must-Read Fiction: ‘The Watch,’ ‘Alys, Always,’ ‘The Year of the Gadfly’Cameron Martin, Lucy Scholes, Amber Dermont
June 19, 2012
Historical Examples
Triumphant as you are over my heart, dear enchanting Olivia!
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
You could not believe that you were not the first mortal that had ever found his way into the enchanting desert.
ImogenWilliam Godwin
But enchanting as they were, they found not the avenue to his heart.
ImogenWilliam Godwin
Its presence sufficed to give the clearing an enchanting charm.
Abbe Mouret's TransgressionEmile Zola
Hobart, which up to 1881 was called Hobart Town, has a most enchanting situation.
Six Letters From the ColoniesRobert Seaton
enchanting
- pleasant; delightful
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enchant
- to cast a spell on; bewitch
- to delight or captivate utterly; fascinate; charm
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Word Origin
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 enchanting
enchant
v.
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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper