enchant
Meaning
to attract someone strongly and make them feel very interested, excited, or pleased
to use magic on someone or something
Structure
Usage
the beautiful melody seemed to enchant the entire audience.
the old tale spoke of a witch who could enchant people and turn them to stone.
she has a personality that can enchant anyone she meets.
Etymology
The word 'enchant' entered English in the late 14th century from Old French 'enchanter', which itself derived from Latin 'incantare', meaning 'to sing a (magical) formula upon, to bewitch'. The Latin verb is composed of the intensive prefix 'in-' and 'cantare', meaning 'to sing'. This root 'cantare' is a frequentative form of 'canere' (to sing), tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root kan- meaning 'to sing'. The semantic journey is clear: the original sense of singing magical spells evolved into the broader modern meanings of delighting or captivating someone as if by magic.
Analysis
en- (latin, prefix meaning 'in, into, to put into a certain state') + chant (old french/latin, meaning 'to sing')