enchant

[en-chant, -chahnt]

verb (used with object)

1. to subject to magical influence; bewitch.

   fairytales about witches who enchant handsome princes and beautiful maidens.

2. to delight to a high degree.

   Her gaiety and wit have enchanted us all.

   Synonyms: enrapture, captivate, attract, fascinate

3. to impart a magic quality or effect to.

enchant

/ ɪnˈtʃɑːnt /

verb

1. to cast a spell on; bewitch

2. to delight or captivate utterly; fascinate; charm

Other Word Forms

• enchanter noun
• enchantress noun
• unenchanted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of enchant¹

1325–75; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French enchanter < Latin incantāre to put a spell on; incantation

Word History and Origins

Origin of enchant¹

C14: from Old French enchanter, from Latin incantāre to chant a spell, from cantāre to chant, from canere to sing

Example Sentences

It’s as though this object has become an enchanted amulet that has brought me simultaneously back into the past, her past, and forward into the future, my future.

From Los Angeles Times

I met him on a night that can only be described as enchanted.

From Los Angeles Times

This was an effective Tottenham display rather than an enchanting one.

From BBC

What these stories mostly miss is what so enchants him about the film.

From Los Angeles Times

This particular stretch of track, which wends north from the town of Dunsmuir, is a renegade route for hikers to one of northern California’s most enchanting natural sights, Mossbrae Falls.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beguile 
• bewitch 
• captivate 
• carry away 
• charm 
• enamor 
• enrapture 
• enthrall 
• entice 
• fascinate 
• gratify 
• hypnotize 
• please 
• thrill 
• wow