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; to enchant. It has been almost universally believed that . . . serpents can stupefy and fascinate the prey which they are desirous to obtain. Griffith (Cuvier).

To charm; to bewitch. [Obs.] Heywood.

To charm; to fascinate; to please to such a degree as to take away the power of resistance; to enchant. The charms of poetry our souls bewitch. Dryden.

Having power to bewitch or fascinate; enchanting; captivating; charming. -- Be*witch"ing*ly, adv. -- Be*witch"ing*ness, n.

To acquire ascendancy over by reason of some art or attraction; to fascinate; to charm; as, Cleopatra captivated Antony; the orator captivated all hearts. Small landscapes of captivating loveliness. W. Irving.

That which exerts an irresistible power to please and attract; that which fascinates; any alluring quality. Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul. Pope. The charm of beauty's powerful glance. Milton.

That which captivates the heart and senses; an influence or power which fascinates or highly delights. Such an enchantment as there is in words. South.

A woman versed in magical arts; a sorceress; also, a woman who fascinates. Shak.

To transport with delight; to enrapture; to fascinate. Spenser.

The state or condition of being fascinated.

To attract as a magnet attracts, or like a magnet; to move; to influence. Fascinated, magnetized, as it were, by his character. Motley.

To look upon with an evil eye; to bewitch by looking upon; to fascinate. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Shak. If you trouble me I will overlook you, and then your pigs will die. C. Kingsley.

To use the enticements of a siren; to act as a siren; to fascinate.

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. "Spelled with words of power." Dryden. He was much spelled with Eleanor Talbot. Sir G. Buck.

To bind or hold by, or as if by, a spell or charm; to fascinate, esp. by eloquence of speech, as in a political campaign. - - Spell"bind`er (#), n.

Fascinated by the stage; seized by a passionate desire to become an actor.

To bewitch; to fascinate; to enchant. [I 'll] witch sweet ladies with my words and looks. Shak. Whether within us or without The spell of this illusion be That witches us to hear and see. Lowell.