SPELL

noun a story; a tale.

2. spell ·noun a spelk, or splinter.

3. spell ·noun one of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.

4. spell ·noun a gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell.

5. spell ·vt to constitute; to measure.

6. spell ·vi to form words with letters, ·esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.

7. spell ·vi to study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.

8. spell ·vt to tell; to relate; to teach.

9. spell ·noun a stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.

10. spell ·vt to supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

11. spell ·noun the time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks.

12. spell ·vt to discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty;

— usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the bible.

13. spell ·vt to put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

14. spell ·vt to tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, ·esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.

15. spell ·noun the relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the masthead.