Charmed
/tʃɑːrmd/noun
Affected by a spell or feeling delight; also used to mean lucky or pleasantly pleased.
Did you know?English charm and the related word incantation both ultimately trace back to Latin cantare, “to sing,” because ancient people believed spoken rhythm could act like a real force.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kan-
“to sing, sound”
Latin
Latin
cantāre
“to sing repeatedly; chant”
Late Latin
Latin
carmen
“song, verse, magical spell”
Old French
Old French
charme
“spell, incantation; charm”
Middle English
English
charmen
“to sing spells; cast a spell”
Modern English
English
charmed
“placed under a spell; delighted or pleasantly pleased”
Explore more surprising origins