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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Spell \Spell\, n. [OE. speld, AS. speld a spill to light a
candle with; akin to D. speld a pin, OD. spelle, G. spalten
to split, OHG. spaltan, MHG. spelte a splinter, Icel. spjald
a square tablet, Goth. spilda a writing tablet. Cf.
{Spill}splinter, roll of paper, {Spell} to tell the letters
of.]
A spelk, or splinter. [Obs.] --Holland.
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Spell \Spell\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spelled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Spelling}.] [AS. spelian to supply another's place.]
To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at
work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.
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Spell \Spell\, n.[AS. spell a saying, tale, speech; akin to OS.
& OHG. spel, Icel. spjall,Goth. spill. Cf. {Gospel}, {Spell}
to tell the letters of.]
1. A story; a tale. [Obs.] "Hearken to my spell." --Chaucer.
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2. A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with
magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
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Start not; her actions shall be holy as
You hear my spell is lawful. --Shak.
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Spell \Spell\, n.
1. The relief of one person by another in any piece of work
or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by
one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the
pumps; a spell at the masthead.
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A spell at the wheel is called a trick. --Ham. Nav.
Encyc.
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2. The time during which one person or gang works until
relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time,
whether a few hours, days, or weeks.
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Nothing new has happened in this quarter, except the
setting in of a severe spell of cold weather.
--Washington.
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3. One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.
[R.]
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Their toil is so extreme that they can not endure it
above four hours in a day, but are succeeded by
spells. --Garew.
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4. A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a
logging spell. [Local, U.S.]
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Spell \Spell\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Spelled}or {Spelt}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Spelling}.] [OE. spellen, spellien, tell, relate, AS.
spellian, fr. spell a saying, tale; akin to MHG. spellen to
relate, Goth. spill?n.e {Spell} a tale. In sense 4 and those
following, OE. spellen, perhaps originally a different word,
and from or influenced by spell a splinter, from the use of a
piece of wood to point to the letters in schools: cf. D.
spellen to spell. Cf. {Spell} splinter.]
1. To tell; to relate; to teach. [Obs.]
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Might I that legend find,
By fairies spelt in mystic rhymes. --T. Warton.
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2. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a
spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. "Spelled with
words of power." --Dryden.
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He was much spelled with Eleanor Talbot. --Sir G.
Buck.
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3. To constitute; to measure. [Obs.]
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The Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together
did spell but one in effect. --Fuller.
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4. To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a
word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the
proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.
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The word "satire" ought to be spelled with i, and
not with y. --Dryden.
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5. To discover by characters or marks; to read with
difficulty; -- usually with out; as, to spell out the
sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible.
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To spell out a God in the works of creation.
--South.
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To sit spelling and observing divine justice upon
every accident. --Milton.
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Spell \Spell\, v. i.
1. To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters,
either orally or in writing.
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When what small knowledge was, in them did dwell,
And he a god, who could but read or spell. --Dryden.
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2. To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn
the meaning of anything, by study. [Obs.]
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Where I may sit and rightly spell
Of every star that heaven doth shew,
And every herb that sips the dew. --Milton.
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