charm
UK /tʃɑːm/ · US /t͡ʃɑɹm/ noun, verb
Forms charms charming charmed charme jarm
- noun An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation). “a charm against evil”
- noun (often in the plural) The ability to persuade, delight or arouse admiration. “He had great personal charm.”
- noun A small trinket on a bracelet or chain, etc., traditionally supposed to confer luck upon the wearer. “She wears a charm bracelet on her wrist.”
- noun (collective) A group of goldfinches or other songbirds, or sometimes hummingbirds.
- noun (particle physics) A quantum number of hadrons determined by the number of charm quarks and antiquarks.
- noun (finance) A second-order measure of derivative price sensitivity, expressed as the instantaneous rate of change of delta with respect to time.
- noun (graphical user interface, Microsoft Windows) An icon providing quick access to a command or setting.
- verb To seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something. “He charmed her with his dashing tales of his days as a sailor.”
- verb (transitive) To use a magical charm upon; to subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to ensorcel or exert a magical effect on. “After winning three games while wearing the chain, Dan began to think it had been charmed.”
- verb To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences. “She led a charmed life.”
- verb (obsolete, rare) To make music upon.
- verb To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
- noun The mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.
- noun A flock, group (especially of finches).
Synonyms
incantation spell talisman amulet craft fetish juju lucky charm madstone mascot mojo periapt phylactery protection telesm token wanga cantrip chantment conjuration appeal appealingness magic spell magical spell good luck charm capture enamour trance catch becharm
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English charme, from Old French charme (“chant, magic spell”), from Latin carmen (“song, incantation”). Displaced native Old English lybb (“drug, poison, charm”).
Synchronically a variant of chirm, but reflects Middle English charme (or unattested *charm), from Old English ċearm (“cry, alarm”), from Proto-West Germanic *karm, masculine variant of *karmi f, from Proto-Germanic *karmiz, *karm(j)az (“cry, lament, calling sound”). Near-doublet of chirm, which is from the feminine counterpart.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A melody; a song. [Obs.]
- noun A word or combination of words sung or spoken in the practice of magic; a magical combination of words, characters, etc.; an incantation.
- verb To make music upon; to tune. [Obs. & R.]
- verb To subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to affect by magic.
Etymology [F. charme, fr. L. carmen song, verse, incantation, for casmen, akin to Skr. çasman, çasa, a laudatory song, from a root signifying to praise, to sing.]
Etymology [Cf. F. charmer. See Charm, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “charm”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details