Meanings
present singular third person becharms · participle present becharming · participle past becharmed · past becharmed
- archaictransitiveTo charm; fascinate; hold by a charm or spell.
Ahab knew that the whale had sounded; but intending to be near him at the next rising, he held on his way a little sideways from the vessel; the becharmed crew maintaining the profoundest silence, as the head-bent waves hammered and hammered against the opposing bow.
1851, Herman Melville, chapter 135, in Moby-Dick
Synonyms & antonyms
verbattract; cause to be enamored
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishbecharmen
- Englishbecharm
From Middle English becharmen, bicharmen, equivalent to be- (“on, upon”) + charm.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with becharm
Anagrams
Cite this entry
becharm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/becharm
“becharm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/becharm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “becharm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/becharm.
Source: becharm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.