The verb 'spell,' meaning to name letters, originates from Old English spellian "to tell, speak, discourse," which is related to Old High German spellōn and Old Norse spjalla "to talk." This sense evolved from the idea of speaking or narrating a story to the specific act of naming letters to form words. The noun meaning "magical formula" comes from a different Old English word, spell, meaning "story, discourse, narrative," which could refer to both sacred tales and, later, incantations. The sense of "a period of time" (e.g., a dry spell) derives from the Old English idea of a "turn" or "shift" of work, related to the verb's sense of taking a turn at an activity. Thus, the modern word 'spell' encapsulates a fascinating convergence of meanings related to speaking, storytelling, magic, and duration, all flowing from a common Proto-Germanic root spellą meaning "news, message, story."

The modern English word 'spell' is a simplex word derived from a tight Germanic root. Its various meanings stem from distinct but historically related Old English sources that have converged into a single modern form.