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Webster 1913 Edition

Charm

Charm

(chärm)
,
Noun.
[F.
charme
, fr. L.
carmen
song, verse, incantation, for
casmen
, akin to Skr.
çasman
,
çasā
, a laudatory song, from a root signifying
to praise
,
to sing
.]
1.
A melody; a song.
[Obs.]
With
charm
of earliest birds.
Milton.
Free liberty to chant our
charms
at will.
Spenser.
2.
A word or combination of words sung or spoken in the practice of magic; a magical combination of words, characters, etc.; an incantation.
My high
charms
work.
Shakespeare
3.
That which exerts an irresistible power to please and attract; that which fascinates; any alluring quality.
Charms
strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
Pope.
The
charm
of beauty’s powerful glance.
Milton.
4.
Anything worn for its supposed efficacy to the wearer in averting ill or securing good fortune.
5.
Any small decorative object worn on the person, as a seal, a key, a silver whistle, or the like. Bunches of charms are often worn at the watch chain.
Syn. – Spell; incantation; conjuration; enchantment; fascination; attraction.

Charm

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Charmed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Charming
.]
[Cf. F.
charmer
. See
Charm
,
Noun.
]
1.
To make music upon; to tune.
[Obs. & R.]
Here we our slender pipes may safely
charm
.
Spenser.
2.
To subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to affect by magic.
No witchcraft
charm
thee!
Shakespeare
3.
To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
Music the fiercest grief can
charm
.
Pope.
4.
To attract irresistibly; to delight exceedingly; to enchant; to fascinate.
They, on their mirth and dance
Intent, with jocund music
charm
his ear.
Milton.
5.
To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences;
as, a
charmed
life
.
Syn. - To fascinate; enchant; enrapture; captivate; bewitch; allure; subdue; delight; entice; transport.

Charm

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To use magic arts or occult power; to make use of charms.
The voice of charmers,
charming
never so wisely.
Ps. lviii. 5.
2.
To act as, or produce the effect of, a charm; to please greatly; to be fascinating.
3.
To make a musical sound.
[Obs.]
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Charm

CHARM

, n.
1.
Words, characters or other things imagined to possess some occult or unintelligible power; hence, a magic power or spell, by which with the supposed assistance of the devil, witches and sorcerers have been supposed to do wonderful things. Spell; enchantment. Hence,
2.
That which has power to subdue opposition, and gain the affections; that which can please irresistible; that which delights and attracts the heart; generally in the plural.
The smiles of nature and the charms of art.
Good humor only teaches charms to last.

CHARM

, v.t.
1.
To subdue or control by incantation or secret influence.
I will send serpents among you - which will not be charmed. Jer. 8.
2.
To subdue by secret power, especially by that which pleases and delights the mind; to allay, or appease.
Music the fiercest grief can charm.
3.
To give exquisite pleasure to the mind or senses; to delight.
We were charmed with the conversation.
The aerial songster charms us with her melodious notes.
4.
To fortify with charms against evil.
I have a charmed life, which must not yield.
5.
To make powerful by charms.
6.
To summon by incantation.
7.
To temper agreeably.

CHARM

,
Verb.
I.
To sound harmonically.

Definition 2024

charm

charm

English

Noun

charm ‎(plural charms)

  1. An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation).
    a charm against evil
    It works like a charm.
  2. The ability to persuade, delight or arouse admiration; often constructed in the plural.
    He had great personal charm.
    She tried to win him over with her charms.
    • Alexander Pope
      Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
    • Milton
      the charm of beauty's powerful glance
  3. (physics) A quantum number of hadrons determined by the quantity of charm quarks & antiquarks.
  4. A small trinket on a bracelet or chain, etc., traditionally supposed to confer luck upon the wearer.
    She wears a charm bracelet on her wrist.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Translations

Verb

charm ‎(third-person singular simple present charms, present participle charming, simple past and past participle charmed)

  1. To seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something.
    • John Milton
      They, on their mirth and dance / Intent, with jocund music charm his ear.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 4, in The Celebrity:
      The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.
    He charmed her with his dashing tales of his days as a sailor.‎
  2. (transitive) To use a magical charm upon; to subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence.
    After winning three games while wearing the chain, Dan began to think it had been charmed.‎
  3. To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences.
    She led a charmed life.‎
  4. (obsolete, rare) To make music upon.
  5. To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
Synonyms
Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Variant of chirm, from Middle English chirme, from Old English ċierm ‎(“cry, alarm”), from Proto-Germanic *karmiz.

Noun

charm ‎(plural charms)

  1. The mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.
    • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book IV:
      Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet, / With charm of earliest Birds […]
    • Spenser
      free liberty to chant our charms at will
    • 1955, William Golding, The Inheritors, Faber and Faber 2005, p. 152:
      The laughter rose like the charm of starlings.
  2. A flock, group (especially of finches).

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology 1

Borrowing from English charm.

Noun

charm c (singular definite charmen, plural indefinite charms)

  1. charm
Inflection

Etymology 2

See charme ‎(“to charm”).

Verb

charm

  1. imperative of charme

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɧarm/

Noun

charm c

  1. charm; the ability to persuade, delight, or arouse admiration

Declension

Related terms

Etymology

From Old French charme (chant, magic spell), from Latin carmen (song, incantation)

Pronunciation

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