spell
1[ spel ]
/ spɛl /
verb (used with object), spelled or spelt, spell·ing.
verb (used without object), spelled or spelt, spell·ing.
to name, write, or give the letters of words, syllables, etc.: He spells poorly.
to express words by letters, especially correctly.
Verb Phrases
spell down, to outspell others in a spelling match.
spell out,
- to explain something explicitly, so that the meaning is unmistakable: Must I spell it out for you?
- to write out in full or enumerate the letters of which a word is composed: The title “Ph.D.” is seldom spelled out.
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Origin of spell
11250–1300; Middle English spellen < Old French espeller < Germanic; compare Old English spellian to talk, announce (derivative of spell spell2), Old High German -spellōn, Old Norse spjalla, Gothic spillōn
Related formsspell·a·ble, adjectiveun·spell·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for spell out (1 of 4)
spell out
verb (tr, adverb)
to make clear, distinct, or explicit; clarify in detaillet me spell out the implications
to read laboriously or with difficulty, working out each word letter by letter
to discern by study; puzzle out
British Dictionary definitions for spell out (2 of 4)
spell
1/ (spɛl) /
verb spells, spelling, spelt or spelled
to write or name in correct order the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word)
(tr) (of letters) to go to make up the conventionally established form of (a word) when arranged correctlyd-o-g spells dog
(tr) to indicate or signifysuch actions spell disaster for our cause
See also spell out
Derived Formsspellable, adjective
Word Origin for spell
C13: from Old French espeller, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse spialla to talk, Middle High German spellen
British Dictionary definitions for spell out (3 of 4)
spell
2/ (spɛl) /
noun
a verbal formula considered as having magical force
any influence that can control the mind or character; fascination
a state induced by or as if by the pronouncing of a spell; tranceto break the spell
under a spell held in or as if in a spell
verb
(tr) rare to place under a spell
Word Origin for spell
Old English spell speech; related to Old Norse spjall tale, Gothic spill, Old High German spel
British Dictionary definitions for spell out (4 of 4)
spell
3/ (spɛl) /
noun
an indeterminate, usually short, period of timea spell of cold weather
a period or tour of duty after which one person or group relieves another
Scot, Australian and NZ a period or interval of rest
verb
(tr) to take over from (a person) for an interval of time; relieve temporarily
spell a paddock NZ to give a field a rest period by letting it lie fallow
Word Origin for spell
Old English spelian to take the place of, of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with spell out (1 of 2)
spell out
Make plain, clarify, as in We asked her to spell out her objectives. [c. 1940]
Read slowly and laboriously, as in He was only six but he managed to spell out the instructions. [Early 1800s]
Puzzle out, manage to understand with some effort, as in It took years before anyone could spell out the inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone. [Late 1600s] All three usages transfer spell in the sense of “proceed letter by letter.”
Idioms and Phrases with spell out (2 of 2)
spell
In addition to the idiom beginning with spell
- spell out
also see:
- cold snap (spell)
- under someone's spell
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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