Where does “spellbound” come from?
Spellbound combines English spell and English bound, where bound derives from French bondir, Latin bombitire, and Latin bombus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰendʰ-.
spellbound (English): Fascinated by something; entranced as if by a...
Definitions
- Fascinated by something; entranced as if by a...
Ancestry of “spellbound”, step by step
spellbound traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spell
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spell | Words or a formula supposed to have magical... |
| 2 | Old French | espeler | to call; to cry out; to shout; to explain; to... |
| 3 | Old French | espelir | — |
| 4 | Frankish | spelôn | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | spellōną | to talk, tell, recount |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | spellą | news, message; tale, story |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pel- | to split in two, split in half; to speak with a... |
via English bound
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bound | simple past tense and past participle of bind;... |
| 2 | Middle English | bound | Alternative form of band |
| 3 | Middle English | band | That which obstructs one's free will and free... |
| 4 | Old English | bend | bond, chain, fetter, band, ribbon, ornament,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bandiz | band |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰendʰ- | to bind; bond |