Beguilement
/bɪˈɡaɪlmənt/noun
The act or result of charming, deceiving, or distracting someone.
Did you know?Beguilement comes from the same old Germanic root as “guile,” a word tied to cunning and deception rather than magic, but it later picked up a faintly enchanting, spellbinding feel in English.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wīlaz / *wīlijaną
“to wish, desire, or will; later, to entice or mislead”
Old English
OE
bēgīlan
“to deceive or lead astray”
Middle English
ME
begilen
“to beguile, deceive, or delude”
14th Century
English
beguilement
“the act of beguiling; deception or charming deception”
Modern English
English
beguilement
“the act or result of charming, distracting, or deceiving”