fascinate

fascinate
fascinate (v.) 1590s, "bewitch, enchant," from M.Fr. fasciner (14c.), from L. fascinatus, pp. of fascinare "bewitch, enchant, fascinate," from fascinus "spell, witchcraft," of uncertain origin. Possibly from Gk. baskanos "bewitcher, sorcerer," with form influenced by L. fari "speak" (see FAME (Cf. fame)). The Greek word may be from a Thracian equivalent of Gk. phaskein "to say;" Cf. also enchant, and Ger. besprechen "to charm," from sprechen "to speak." Earliest used of witches and of serpents, who were said to be able to cast a spell by a look that rendered one unable to move or resist. Sense of "delight, attract" is first recorded 1815. Related: Fascinated; fascinating.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Fascinate — Fas ci*nate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fascinated}, p. pr. & vb. n.. {Fascinating}.] [L. fascinare; cf. Gr. ?????????? to slander, bewitch.] 1. To influence in an uncontrollable manner; to operate on by some powerful or irresistible charm; to bewitch; …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fascinate — index immerse (engross), interest, occupy (engage) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • fascinate — charm, bewitch, enchant, captivate, allure, *attract Analogous words: influence, impress, *affect, sway, strike, touch: delight, rejoice, gladden, *please …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • fascinate — [v] captivate, hold spellbound absorb, allure, animate, arouse, attach, attract, beguile, bewitch, charm, compel, delight, draw, enamor, enchant, engage, engross, enrapture, enslave, ensnare, enthrall, entice, entrance, excite, fire, gladden,… …   New thesaurus

  • fascinate — ► VERB ▪ irresistibly attract the interest of. DERIVATIVES fascinating adjective fascinatingly adverb fascination noun. ORIGIN Latin fascinare bewitch , from fascinum spell, witchcraft …   English terms dictionary

  • fascinate — [fas′ə nāt΄] vt. fascinated, fascinating [< L fascinatus, pp. of fascinare, to bewitch, charm < fascinum, a charm < ? or akin to Gr baskanos, sorcerer] 1. Obs. to put under a spell; bewitch 2. to attract or hold motionless, as by a fixed …   English World dictionary

  • fascinate */ — UK [ˈfæsɪneɪt] / US [ˈfæsɪˌneɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms fascinate : present tense I/you/we/they fascinate he/she/it fascinates present participle fascinating past tense fascinated past participle fascinated to attract and interest you very… …   English dictionary

  • fascinate — verb (fascinated; fascinating) Etymology: Latin fascinatus, past participle of fascinare, from fascinum evil spell Date: 1598 transitive verb 1. obsolete bewitch 2. a. to transfix and hold spellbound by an irresistible power …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • fascinate — [16] To fascinate somebody is literally to ‘bewitch’ them. The word comes from the past participle of the Latin verb fascināre, which was a derivative of fascinum ‘witchcraft’. The Roman phallic deity, incidentally, was named Fascinus, because an …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • fascinate — [16] To fascinate somebody is literally to ‘bewitch’ them. The word comes from the past participle of the Latin verb fascināre, which was a derivative of fascinum ‘witchcraft’. The Roman phallic deity, incidentally, was named Fascinus, because an …   Word origins

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