- A spelk, or splinter. - 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. - 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. - One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells. - A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a
logging spell. - A story; a tale. - A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with
magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
2 . Spell
[ v. i.]
- To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters,
either orally or in writing. - To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn
the meaning of anything, by study.
3 . Spell
[ v. t.]
- To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of,
at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman. - To tell; to relate; to teach. - To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a
spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. - To constitute; to measure. - 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. - 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.
Meaning of 'spell' (Princeton's WordNet)
1 . spell
[ n]
Meaning (1): - a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition
Example in sentence:
a patch of bad weather;
a spell of good weather;
he was here for a little while;
I need to rest for a piece
Meaning (2): - a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
Example in sentence:
a spell of work;
it's my go
Meaning (3): - a verbal formula believed to have magical force
Example in sentence:
he whispered a spell as he moved his hands;
inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese
4 . spell
[ v]
Meaning (4): - write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word)
Example in sentence:
He spelled the word wrong in this letter
Meaning (5): - orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
Example in sentence:
How do you spell this word?;
We had to spell out our names for the police officer
Meaning (6): - indicate or signify
Example in sentence:
I'm afraid this spells trouble!
Meaning (7): - relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn