glamour · noun — originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make filthy, ugly, or repulsive things seem beauteous. It carries an Arena rating of 1973, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, glamour ranks #106 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #171 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #648 of 17,188 for Most Malleable Words, #992 of 17,172 for Most Beautiful Words.
glamour is pronounced /ˈɡlæmə/.
Why “glamour” is a great word
An enchantment or illusion cast by magic, now extended to mean an alluring, often theatrical charm that dazzles and seduces. From Scots *glamour* ("magic"), an alteration of Middle English *gramere* ("grammar"), from Old French *gramaire*, ultimately from Latin *grammatica*; the semantic shift from 'learning' to 'magic' and then to 'alluring charm' is notable, first attested in English c. 1715. Unlike 'beauty,' which denotes inherent form, or 'charm,' which suggests a gentle attraction of personality, glamour is constructed, a spell cast rather than a quality possessed. It is the silver-screen sheen that transforms an actor into an icon, the hush before a curtain rises, the specific alchemy of lighting and distance that creates an aura of untouchable romance—a secular enchantment we willingly believe in, knowing the spell is cast by artifice.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Scots glamour (“magic”), alteration of Middle English gramere (“grammar”), from Old French gramaire. Doublet of glamoury, gramarye, grammar, and grimoire. A connection has also been suggested with Old Norse glámr (“the moon", also "the name of a ghost”, poetic byname, literally “the pale one”) and glámsýni (“glamour, illusion”, literally “glam-sight”). From Grettir's Saga aka Grettis Saga, one of the Sagas of Icelanders, after the hero has been cursed by Glam, aka Glamr: "...he was become so fearsome a man in the dark, that he durst go nowhither alone after nightfall, for then he seemed to see all kinds of horrors. And that has fallen since into a proverb, that "Glam lends eyes", or gives Glamsight to those who see things nowise as they are."
noun
- Originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make filthy, ugly, or repulsive things seem beauteous.
- Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex appeal).e.g.“glamour magazines; a glamour model”
- Any excitement, appeal, or attractiveness associated with a person, place, or thing; that which makes something appealing.e.g.“The idea of being a movie star has lost its glamour for me.”
- Any artificial interest in, or association with, objects, or persons, through which they appear delusively magnified or glorified.
- A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.
- An item, motif, person, image that by association improves appearance.
- A beautiful woman.e.g.“One of the Qantas staff, a glamour, made her way over to us.” — 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 214:
verb
- To enchant; to bewitch.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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