fascinate

English edit

Etymology edit

From Latin fascinātus, perfect passive participle of fascinō (“enchant, bewitch, fascinate”), from fascinum (“a phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck used in Ancient Rome; witchcraft”), which is of obscure origin.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ˈfæsɪneɪt/
Audio (Southern England) (file)

Verb edit

fascinate (third-person singular simple present fascinates, present participle fascinating, simple past and past participle fascinated)

To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
The flickering TV fascinated the cat.
To make someone hold motionless; to spellbind.
We were fascinated by the potter's skill.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
  Leo, too, was strangely touched. Hitherto he had been fascinated against his better judgment, something as a bird is fascinated by a snake, but now I think that all this passed away, and he realised that he really loved this strange and glorious creature, as, alas! I loved her also.
To be irresistibly charming or attractive to.
Her gait fascinates all men.

Derived terms edit

fascinating

Related terms edit

fascination

Translations edit

to evoke interest or attraction

Afrikaans: fassineer
Arabic: فَتَنَ (fatana)
Bulgarian: привличам (bg) (privličam), очаровам (bg) (očarovam)
Catalan: fascinar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 誘惑／诱惑 (zh) (yòuhuò), 迷住 (zh) (mízhu), 吸引 (zh) (xīyǐn)
Czech: fascinovat (cs)
Dutch: fascineren (nl)
Esperanto: fascini
Finnish: viehättää (fi)
French: fasciner (fr)
Galician: fascinar
German: faszinieren (de)
Japanese: 魅惑する (ja) (みわくする, miwaku suru)
Latin: fascino (la)
Maori: manawarū
Polish: fascynować (pl) impf, zafascynować (pl) pf
Portuguese: fascinar (pt)
Russian: очаро́вывать (ru) impf (očaróvyvatʹ), очарова́ть (ru) pf (očarovátʹ), завора́живать (ru) impf (zavoráživatʹ)
Spanish: fascinar (es)
Swedish: fascinera (sv)
Ukrainian: захо́плювати (zaxópljuvaty)

to spellbind

Bulgarian: омайвам (bg) (omajvam)
Czech: fascinovat (cs), okouzlit
Finnish: lumoutua
French: fasciner (fr)
Galician: fascinar
German: faszinieren (de)
Latin: fascino (la)
Swedish: fascinera (sv)
Ukrainian: зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty)

to be charming or attractive

Czech: okouzlit
Finnish: viehättää (fi)
French: fasciner (fr)
Galician: fascinar
German: faszinieren (de), bezaubern (de)
Maori: ātahu
Russian: очаро́вывать (ru) impf (očaróvyvatʹ), очарова́ть (ru) pf (očarovátʹ), пленя́ть (ru) impf (plenjátʹ), плени́ть (ru) pf (plenítʹ)
Ukrainian: зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty), чарува́ти (čaruváty)

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Translations to be checked