n.
Function: noun
Etymology: probably alteration of Middle English spale substitute, from Old English spala
Date: 1593
1 a archaic : a shift of workers b : one's turn at work
2 a : a period spent in a job or occupation b chiefly Australian : a period of rest from work, activity, or use
3 a : an indeterminate period of time <waited a spell before advancing> also : a continuous period of time <did a spell in prison> b : a stretch of a specified type of weather
4 : a period of bodily or mental distress or disorder <a spell of coughing> <fainting spell s >