Beguile
/bɪˈɡaɪl/noun
To deceive, charm, or distract someone, often by using pleasant or attractive means.
Did you know?The word’s early history is tangled with older senses of “wily deception” and “mockery,” and it survives today in the eerie idea that a pretty surface can still be a form of enchantment.
Etymological Timeline
Old French
OF
beguiller
“to deceive, trick, or mock”
Middle English
ME
begilen
“to deceive, delude, or make a fool of”
Early Modern English
English
beguile
“to deceive, trick, or charm”
Modern English
English
beguile
“to charm, divert, or deceive in a pleasant or seductive way”