incantation

American  

[in-kan-tay-shuhn] / ˌɪn kænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• incantations
  plural

1. the chanting or uttering of words purporting to have magical power.

2. the formula employed; a spell or charm.

3. magical ceremonies.

4. magic; sorcery.

   Synonyms:

   wizardry, black magic, witchcraft

5. repetitious wordiness used to conceal a lack of content; obfuscation.

   Her prose too often resorts to incantation.

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incantation British  

/ ˌɪnkænˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. ritual recitation of magic words or sounds

2. the formulaic words or sounds used; a magic spell

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• incantator
  noun
• incantational
  adjective
• incantatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incantations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of incantation

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin incantātiōn- (stem of incantātiō ), equivalent to incantāt ( us ) past participle of incantāre to put a spell on, bewitch ( see enchant, -ate ¹) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

"Double, double toil and trouble / Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." These lines, cackled by the Weird Sisters in Shakespeare's Macbeth, are part of the most famous incantation — or magic spell made of words — in English literature. Incantation shares a Latin source with enchant, both of which are related to chant. An incantation, then, summons a thing or action into being with words that are sung, spoken, or written. Long before it became the catchword of stage magicians, abracadabra was regarded as a powerful incantation capable of warding off serious disease. The phrase hocus pocus may be a corruption of a 17th-century incantation spoken during the Roman Catholic liturgy of the Eucharist, "hoc est corpus meum" ("this is my body").

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incantation incantations

“Asmodeus” is a bewildering incantation about the coupling of poetry and squalor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

His formula—AI to read life’s grammar, synthesis to write it, authorship of species as the outcome—recurs so often it begins to feel like an incantation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

To establish the right note of terror on a fog-strewn set by Arnulfo Maldonado that resembles the private chamber of a writer or madman, Page begins with Lady Macbeth’s chilling incantation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026

Nuns dangling rosary beads, tourists and student priests were among those who joined the gentle incantation of the rosary in the Vatican.

From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2025

At first Frodo felt as if he had indeed been turned into stone by the incantation.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

With dialogue about the nature of the divine, processed incantations and titles such as “The Word Becomes Flesh,” Boards of Canada has spiritual matters in mind throughout “Inferno.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

This ritual lasted an entire night and involved burning small figures made of wax and clay while an exorcist recited specific incantations.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

And, in a concession to modernity, as well as holding up feathers in a blessing for the King, the elder was reading his incantations from an iPhone.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025

Blake combined extremes: rambling incantations about European history alongside short ditties on the soul that any child can enjoy.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

Stepping into the boat light as a cat Ged set straight the warped boards and rotten pegs, working both with tools and incantations, as he had used to do with Pechvarry in Low Torning.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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Related Words

• enchantment
• hymn

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