Charm

How to spell charm

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce charm

What does charm mean?

1. nounA pleasing or fascinating quality that makes someone or something attractive.
2. nounA small ornament or trinket worn on a bracelet or necklace.
3. nounA word, phrase, or object believed to have magical power.
4. verbTo delight, fascinate, or win over someone through pleasing qualities.

Charm in a sentence

• noun

  The old harbour town has a quiet charm that draws visitors back.

• noun

  She added a tiny silver charm shaped like an anchor to her bracelet.

• noun

  In the story, the witch muttered a charm to keep travellers from the door.

• verb

  The new manager can charm even the most difficult clients.

• noun

  His easy charm helped him win over the interview panel.

• noun

  Each charm on the chain marked a place she had travelled to.

Where does charm come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Charm entered English in the 1200s from the Old French word charme, which itself descended from the Latin carmen, meaning 'a song, a verse, or an incantation'. In Roman usage carmen covered not only poetry but also the chanted spells that were believed to work magic, so the earliest English sense of charm was literally a spoken or sung magic formula. From the idea of a magical phrase the meaning broadened to the small objects (amulets and trinkets) thought to carry that power, and then softened further into the modern sense of a pleasing, almost bewitching personal quality. The notion that someone 'enchants' you preserves the same magical thread, since enchant comes from the related Latin cantare 'to sing'. The silent connection between song and spell is the heart of the word, even though the spelling itself is refreshingly straightforward.

How the word is built

• charm (from Latin carmen: song, incantation), borrowed as a single root with no prefix or suffix