spell

spell · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰel-“to speak, to sound”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)pel-“to tell”
3. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*spellą“speech, account, tale”
4. Old English · inherited fromspell“news, story”
5. Middle English · inherited fromspell
6. English todayspell

From Middle English spell, spel, from Old English spell (“news, story”), from Proto-Germanic *spellą (“speech, account, tale”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to tell”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to speak, to sound”) with the s-mobile prefix. Cognate with dialectal German Spill, Icelandic spjall (“discussion, talk”), spjalla (“to discuss, to talk”), guðspjall (“gospel”) and Albanian fjalë (“word”).

spell · verb²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*spellōną“to speak”
2. Old English · inherited fromspellian“to tell, speak”
3. Frankish · derived from*spelōn
4. Old French · derived fromespeller
5. Anglo-Norman · derived fromespeler
6. Middle English · inherited fromspellen
7. English todayspell

From Middle English spellen, from Anglo-Norman espeler, espeleir, Old French espeller, espeler (compare Modern French épeler), from Frankish *spelōn, merged with native Old English spellian (“to tell, speak”), both eventually from Proto-Germanic *spellōną (“to speak”). Related with etymology 1. The sense “indicate a future event” probably in part a backformation from forespell (literally “to tell in advance”).

spell · verb, noun³

1. Old English · inherited fromspelian“to represent, take or stand in the place of another, act as a representative of another”
2. Middle English · inherited fromspelen
3. English todayspell

From Middle English spelen, from Old English spelian (“to represent, take or stand in the place of another, act as a representative of another”), akin to Middle English spale (“a rest or break”), Old English spala (“representative, substitute”).

spell · noun⁴

1. Old Norse · derived from[Term?]
2. Middle English · inherited fromspel“a thin piece of wood”
3. English todayspell

From Middle English spel (“a thin piece of wood”), from Old Norse [Term?].

Spell · proper noun⁵

From the German surname, perhaps related to Speller.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
• from 16th c. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.
• 8th–15th c. Speech, discourse.
• from 16th c. To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.
• from 14th c. To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.
• from 19th c. Of letters: to compose (a word).
• from 20th c. To clarify; to explain in detail.
• from 19th c. To indicate that (some event) will occur; typically followed by a single-word noun.