charm

¹

[ chahrm ]

noun

1. a power of pleasing or attracting, as through personality or beauty: the charm of a mountain lake.

   charm of manner;

   the charm of a mountain lake.

   Synonyms: allurement, attractiveness

2. a trait or feature imparting this power.
3. charms, attractiveness.
4. a trinket to be worn on a bracelet, necklace, etc.

   Synonyms: bauble

5. something worn or carried on one's person for its supposed magical effect; amulet.

   Synonyms: talisman

6. any action supposed to have magical power.

   Synonyms: spell, enchantment

7. the chanting or recitation of a magic verse or formula.
8. a verse or formula credited with magical power.

   Synonyms: spell

9. Physics. a quantum number assigned the value +1 for one kind of quark, −1 for its antiquark, and 0 for all other quarks. : C Compare charmed quark.

verb (used with object)

1. to delight or please greatly by beauty, attractiveness, etc.; enchant:

   She charmed us with her grace.

   Synonyms: bewitch, allure, ravish, enrapture, entrance, captivate, fascinate

2. to act upon (someone or something) with or as with a compelling or magical force:

   to charm a bird from a tree.

3. to endow with or protect by supernatural powers.
4. to gain or influence through personal charm:

   He charmed a raise out of his boss.

verb (used without object)

1. to be fascinating or pleasing.
2. to use charms.
3. to act as a charm.

charm

²

[ chahrm ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. blended singing of birds, children, etc.

charm

¹

/ tʃɑːm /

noun

1. dialect.
   a loud noise, as of a number of people chattering or of birds singing

charm

²

/ tʃɑːm /

noun

1. the quality of pleasing, fascinating, or attracting people
2. a pleasing or attractive feature
3. a small object worn or kept for supposed magical powers of protection; amulet; talisman
4. a trinket worn on a bracelet
5. a magic spell; enchantment
6. a formula or action used in casting such a spell
7. physics an internal quantum number of certain elementary particles, used to explain some scattering experiments
8. like a charm
   perfectly; successfully

verb

1. to attract or fascinate; delight greatly
2. to cast a magic spell on
3. to protect, influence, or heal, supposedly by magic
4. tr to influence or obtain by personal charm

   he charmed them into believing him

charm

/ chärm /

1. One of the flavors of quarks, contributing to the charm number—a quantum number—for hadrons.
2. A charmed particle is a particle that contains at least one charmed quark or charmed antiquark. The charmed quark was hypothesized to account for the longevity of the J/psi particle and to explain differences in the behavior of leptons and hadrons.
3. See more at flavor

Other Words From

• charm·ed·ly [chahr, -mid-lee], adverb
• charmer noun
• charmless adjective
• charmless·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of charm¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English charme “magical verse or incantation,” from Old French, from Latin carmen “song, magical formula,” from unattested canmen (by dissimilation), equivalent to can(ere) “to sing” + -men noun suffix

Origin of charm²

First recorded in 1520–30 as cherme, dialect variant of chirm “noise, din,” perhaps associated with charm ¹( def ) (in the sense “chanting of a magic verse”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of charm¹

C16: variant of chirm

Origin of charm²

C13: from Old French charme, from Latin carmen song, incantation, from canere to sing

Idioms and Phrases

• (charm the) pants off
• work like a charm

Example Sentences

"What once seemed so effortlessly charming about this young wayfinder forging her own path has, in Part Two, become more convoluted and stilted - it’s a journey that, frustratingly, leads nowhere."

From BBC

“You can’t kill that many people and be so relaxed and charming unless there’s a little piece missing there.”

From Los Angeles Times

This disconnect between Thanksgiving as imagined in glossy spreads and the Thanksgiving most of us experience is perhaps why I find myself so utterly charmed by “Bob’s Burgers’” semi-annual Thanksgiving specials.

From Salon

“We have to try to keep her fame and reputation going,” he said, although, at some point Moo Deng will lose some of her youthful “bounciness,” and thus some of her charm.

From Los Angeles Times

Charles is clever and charming but not great at talking about the grief he feels over losing his wife a year earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• attract
• beguile
• bewitch
• cajole
• captivate
• delight
• enamor
• enrapture
• enthrall
• fascinate
• hypnotize
• mesmerize
• please
• tickle
• wow