enchantment

[en-chant-muhnt, -chahnt-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enchantment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the art, act, or an instance of enchanting.

the state of being enchanted.

something that enchants: Music is an enchantment that never fails.

Origin of enchantment

1250–1300; Middle English enchantement < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin incantāmentum. See enchant, -ment

Synonyms for enchantment

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR enchantment ON THESAURUS.COM

1. magic, sorcery, fascination, witchery. 3. spell, charm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for enchantment

But I also want jazz to be loved and enjoyed, to serve as a source of enchantment and delight.
What’s With This Uncool Surge in Jazz Bashing?|Ted Gioia|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But as the years go on, you learn about the oily machinery that manufactures all that enchantment.
I Joined the Peace Corps Because of Angelina Jolie|Sean Smith|January 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
This is true magic—the enchantment of love, memory, obsession, and the flawed attempts of human beings to understand themselves.
Walter Mosley's Reading List|Walter Mosley|March 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She is the author of a novel, Enchantment, and a collection of essays, Dreaming of Hitler.
The Sexism Revival|Daphne Merkin|November 19, 2008|DAILY BEAST

The houses seemed to acquire from the gray and silver web of October enchantment a mysterious immensity.
Carnival|Compton Mackenzie
For notwithstanding the misery of such reflections, there is an enchantment in this remorse, which fixes them to the spot.
Adventures in the Moon, and Other Worlds|John Russell Russell
Seated under the bower of jasmine and honeysuckle I felt as if I were experiencing the enchantment of paradise, of another Eden.
The Story of a Child|Pierre Loti
Very gradually the heavens clear, till at last a blue sky and warm sunshine bring out all the enchantment of the scene.
The Roof of France|Matilda Betham-Edwards
Every cadence and vibration of that voice was to him enchantment—he could not choose but pause.
The Cock and Anchor|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for enchantment

enchantment

noun

the act of enchanting or state of being enchanted

a magic spell or act of witchcraft

great charm or fascination

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 enchantment

late 13c., from Old French encantement, from enchanter "bewitch, charm," from Latin incantare, literally "enchant, cast a (magic) spell upon," from in- "upon, into" (see in- (2)) + cantare "to sing" (see chant (v.)). Figurative sense of "alluring" is from 1670s. Cf. Old English galdor "song," also "spell, enchantment," from galan "to sing," source of the second element in nightingale.

enchantment

noun

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Origin of enchantment

Synonyms for enchantment

Examples from the Web for enchantment

enchantment

noun