enchantment

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English enchauntement,^[2][3] borrowed from Old French enchantement,^{[4][2][3][5][6]} formed from enchanter (“to bewitch, charm”), the source of enchant, and the suffix -ment.^[4][6][3] The Anglo-Norman noun is recorded from the early 12th century for sorcery and witchcraft, and also for a riddle or absurd formula.^[7] Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com trace it to Latin incantāmentum (“incantation”),^[8][9] from incantō (“to enchant, cast a spell upon”),^[8][3] which is formed from in- (“upon, into”) and cantō (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *kan- (“to sing”).^[3] Etymonline compares Old English galdor (“song; spell, enchantment”), from galan (“to sing”), which is also the second part of nightingale.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An act of magic or witchcraft, the use of magic, or magic power: about 1300, in the South English Legendary.^[2][3] The OED's first quotation is from Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle, which it dates 1297.^[4]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English the word kept to magic and sorcery: Chaucer's Boece speaks of drinks made with enchantments, and Mandeville of things made by enchantment.^[2] The figurative sense, an alluring or overpowering charm or a state of rapture, appears in 1678, in Butler's Hudibras;^[4][3] the OED also includes under it a delusive appearance of beauty.^[4] Johnson (1755) gave both senses, magical charms or sorcery, and irresistible influence or overpowering delight.^[10]

Timeline

• c. 1300 – an act of magic or witchcraft; the use of magic.^[2][3] The OED dates its first record to 1297.^[4]
• 1678 – figuratively, alluring charm; rapture.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of enchanting, or the state of being enchanted; bewitchment.^[8][11][4]
2. A magic spell or act of witchcraft: The old enchantment kept the whole castle asleep.^[11][8][5]
3. Great charm or fascination; delight: the enchantment of a quiet harbour at dusk.^[11][8][5]

Related words

• enchant
• incantation
• chant
• disenchantment

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
10. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
11. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins