fascinate

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 fascinumwitchcraft’. The Roman phallic deity, incidentally, was named Fascinus, because an amulet in the shape of a penis was hung around children’s necks in ancient times to ward off evil spells.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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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 — (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 …   Etymology dictionary

  • 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

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