Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “spell” come from?

Spell comes from Old English spell, derived from a Proto-Indo-European root spel- meaning to speak or recite.

spell (English): Words or a formula supposed to have magical...

Definitions

  1. Words or a formula supposed to have magical...

Ancestry of “spell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchespelerto call; to cry out; to shout; to explain; to...
2Old Frenchespelir—
3Frankishspelôn—
4Proto-Germanicspellōnąto talk, tell, recount
5Proto-Germanicspelląnews, message; tale, story
6Proto-Indo-European(s)pel-to split in two, split in half; to speak with a...

Words derived from “spell”

  • spelling
  • spelt
  • spellbound
  • misspelling
  • spellbinding
  • speller
  • misspell
  • misspelt
  • fingerspelling
  • spellbook
  • spellcaster
  • spellout
  • spellbinder
  • spellwork
  • counterspell
  • spellcraft
  • spellcasting
  • fingerspell
  • spellbind
  • unspellable
  • bespell
  • spellbindingly
  • spellingly
  • unspelt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pel- →