charm means an object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation). It carries an Arena rating of 1963, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, charm ranks #24 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #188 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,053 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,648 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
charm is pronounced /tʃɑːm/.
Why “charm” is a great word
A quality, object, or act that delights, persuades, or is believed to have magical power. From Middle English charme, from Old French charme ("chant, magic spell"), from Latin carmen ("song, incantation"). Unlike "enchantment," which implies a deep, supernatural binding, or "charisma," which denotes a formidable, leadership-grade magnetism, charm operates on a subtler, more personal frequency—a lighter, social alchemy. It is the perfect, disarming phrase offered at a tense moment, the particular tilt of a hat brim, and the specific click of a locket being fastened. Charm asks nothing of the universe; it only rearranges the air between two people, and for a breath, that seems like enough.
Etymology
From Middle English charme, from Old French charme (“chant, magic spell”), from Latin carmen (“song, incantation”).
noun
- An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation).e.g.“a charm against evil”
- The ability to persuade, delight or arouse admiration.e.g.“He had great personal charm.”
- A small trinket on a bracelet or chain, etc., traditionally supposed to confer luck upon the wearer.e.g.“She wears a charm bracelet on her wrist.”
- The collective noun for a group of goldfinches.
- A quantum number of hadrons determined by the number of charm quarks and antiquarks.
- A second-order measure of derivative price sensitivity, expressed as the instantaneous rate of change of delta with respect to time.
- An icon providing quick access to a command or setting.e.g.“Undoubtedly one of the most important pieces to navigating Windows 8, charms are actually not visible until a command to show them is given.” — 2012, J. Peter Bruzzese, Using Windows 8:
- The mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.e.g.“[…]Free libertie to chaunt our charmes at will:[…]” — 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “The Teares of the Muses”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC:
- A flock, group (especially of finches).e.g.“A charm of finches flew overhead, singing into the vivid afternoon sky.” — 2018, Holly Ringland, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart:
verb
- To seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something.e.g.“He charmed her with his dashing tales of his days as a sailor.”
- To use a magical charm upon; to subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence; to ensorcel or exert a magical effect on.e.g.“After winning three games while wearing the chain, Dan began to think it had been charmed.”
- To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences.e.g.“She led a charmed life.”
- To make music upon.
- To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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