bewitch
/bɪˈwɪtʃ
/verb [with object]
1Cast a spell over (someone): a handsome prince who had been bewitched by a sorceress...
- According to historians, Boyan was not a magician in the sense that he was able to cast spells, bewitch people and transform into animals, but he was a learned man and a poet.
- I was bewitched when I cast my eyes on him at my father's place.
- Trying to remain calm Leo asked, ‘And who is this lady sorceress that you say has bewitched men everywhere, and why should you warn me?’
Synonyms
cast a spell on, put a spell on, enchant;
possess, witch, curse;
North American hex, hoodoo;
Australian point the bone at;
in South Africa tagati
literary entrance
1.1Enchant and delight (someone): they both were bewitched by the golden luminosity of Italy (as adjective bewitching) she was certainly a bewitching woman...
- He had laughed, he had charmed me, almost bewitched me.
- It had bewitched her, entranced her, and now she found that she could not tear her gaze away from him.
- Why do witches and old women fascinate and bewitch children?
Synonyms
captivate, enchant, entrance, enrapture, charm, beguile, delight, fascinate, enthral, seduce, ravish, spellbind, hold spellbound, mesmerize, hypnotize, transfix
rare rapture
Derivatives
bewitcher
- He gave her the ability to cast, thinking it would satisfy her ambition and keep her as a bewitcher of men for as long as possible.
- A full year's abstinence is considered necessary to become a really effective bewitcher or curer.
- Once the bewitcher is unmasked they are then confronted and asked to call off the attack.
bewitchingly
/ adverb ...- What else one can look forward to are the bewitchingly beautiful beach villas with the best of amenities ranging from food to entertainment.
- There is a whole new world of sight and insight, both bewitchingly beautiful, to be discovered and savoured!
- Choose from among a panoply of fresh, forthright, and bewitchingly flavored coconut-milk curries, hot-and-sour soups, and noodle dishes.
bewitchment
/ noun ...- When the lovely daughter tries to lay the blame for her own transgression on a bewitchment, Nell and her grandmother suffer terrible consequences from the frenzied folly of a superstitious community.
- He also remarked on the harmful effects of ‘the almost universal belief amongst the common people in so-called spells and bewitchments’.
- Broadly speaking, the frequency of supposed bewitchments diminished; their scope was restricted to personal, not communal, misfortunes; socially, a narrower range of persons was involved.
Origin
Middle English: from be- 'thoroughly' + witch.
Rhymes
- rhinocerotic
- rhinocerotid
- rhinocerotine
- rhinocerotoid
- rhinodon
- rhino horn
- rhinolaryngitis
- rhinolaryngologic
- rhinolaryngological
- rhinolaryngologist
- rhinolaryngology
- rhino-like
- rhinolith
- rhinolithiasis
- rhinological
- rhinologist
- rhinology
- rhinolophid
- rhinopharyngeal
- rhinopharyngitis
- rhinopharynx
- rhinophore
- rhinophyma
- rhinoplastic
- rhinoplasty