spell

spell¹ S2 [spel] v past tense and past participle spelt [spelt] BrE also spelled especially AmE

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: espeller]

1.) [I and T]

to form a word by writing or naming the letters in order

▪ How do you spell 'juice'?

▪ Pupils should know how to spell commonly used words.

spell sth wrong/wrongly

▪ You've spelled my name wrong.

2.) [T not in passive]

if letters spell a word, they form it

▪ B-O-O-K spells 'book'.

3.) spell trouble/disaster/danger etc

if a situation or action spells trouble etc, it makes you expect trouble etc

▪ The lack of rain could spell disaster for farmers.

4.) [T] AmE

to do someone else's work for them for a short period so that they can rest

▪ I can spell you if you get tired.

spell out [spell sth<=>out] phr v

1.) to explain something clearly and in detail

spell out how/what etc

▪ The report spelled out in detail what the implications were for teacher training.

2.) to show how a word is spelled by writing or saying the letters separately in order

▪ 'W-E-I-R,' she said, spelling it out.

3.) to write a word in its complete form instead of using an ↑abbreviation

spell ²

spell² n

[Sense: 1,3-4; Origin: Old English'talk, story']

[Sense: 2; Date: 1600-1700; Origin: spell 'to take the place of another' (11-21 centuries), from Old English spelian]

1.) a piece of magic that someone does, or the special words or ceremonies used in doing it

▪ a magic spell

put a spell on sb/cast a spell over sb

(=do a piece of magic to change someone)

▪ The kiss of the prince broke the spell (=stopped the magic from working) .

be under a spell

▪ The whole town seemed to be under a spell.

2.) a period of a particular kind of activity, weather, illness etc, usually a short period

brief/short spell

▪ After a brief spell in the army, I returned to teaching.

spell of

▪ a spell of bad luck

cold/wet/dry spell

▪ Water the young plants carefully during dry spells.

▪ a day of sunny spells and scattered showers

▪ He began to suffer from dizzy spells .

3.) a power that attracts, interests, and influences you very strongly

fall/come/be under a spell

▪ I fell under the spell of her charm.

▪ an ancient city that still casts its spell over travellers

4.) break the spell

to make someone stop paying all their attention to something, or to make a time stop feeling special

▪ He lay still, not wanting to break the spell.