different between incantation vs enchant

English

Alternative forms

• encantation

Etymology

From Old French incantation, from Latin incantatio. More at enchant.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /inkæn?te???n/
• Rhymes: -e???n

Noun

incantation (plural incantations)

1. The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results.
2. A formula of words used as above.
3. (computing, slang) Any esoteric command or procedure.
   • 1998, John Purcell, Robert Kiesling, Linux: The Complete Reference: Book 1 (page 412)

     The appropriate incantation of route is shown below; the gw keyword tells it that the next argument denotes a gateway.

   • 2017, James Pogran, Learning PowerShell DSC (page 11)

     Servers move from being special snowflakes to being disposable numbers on a list that can be created and destroyed without requiring someone to remember the specific incantation to make it work.

Related terms

• incanter

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin incant?ti?. Synchronically analysable as incanter +? -ation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.k??.ta.sj??/

Noun

incantation f (plural incantations)

1. incantation

Related terms

• enchanter

Further reading

• “incantation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Alternative forms

• enchaunt, inchant, inchaunt (all obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English enchaunten, from Old French enchanter, from Latin incant?re, present active infinitive of incant?.Doublet of incant.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?t?ænt/, /?n?t?ænt/
• (Northern England) IPA^(key): /?n?t?ant/, /?n?t?ant/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?t???nt/, /?n?t???nt/
• (General New Zealand) IPA^(key): /?n?t???nt/, /en?t???nt/
• Rhymes: -ænt, -??nt

Verb

enchant (third-person singular simple present enchants, present participle enchanting, simple past and past participle enchanted)

1. To attract and delight, to charm.
   • 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[1]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):

     New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused catastrophic flooding here in Hoboken and in other New York City suburbs, destroyed entire neighborhoods across the state and wiped out iconic boardwalks in shore towns that had enchanted generations of vacationgoers.

2. To cast a spell upon (often one that attracts or charms).
   • 2009, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Bestiary, Paizo Publishing, ?ISBN, page 241

     With the aid of his eponymous pipes, a satyr is capable of weaving a wide variety of melodic spells designed to enchant others and bring them in line with his capricious desires.

3. (role-playing games) To magically enhance or degrade an item.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• Nechtan

Middle English

Verb

enchant

1. Alternative form of enchaunten