incantation

1. Ritual recitation of verbal charms or spells to produce a magic effect.
2. 1. A formula used in ritual recitation; a verbal charm or spell.
   2. A conventionalized utterance repeated without thought or aptness; a formula: the pious incantations of the administration.

[Middle English incantacioun, from Old French incantation, from Late Latin incantātiō, incantātiōn-, spell, from Latin incantātus, past participle of incantāre, to enchant. See enchant.]

Any particularly arbitrary or obscure command that one must mutter at a system to attain a desired result. Not used of passwords or other explicit security features. Especially used of tricks that are so poorly documented that they must be learned from a wizard. “This compiler normally locates initialized data in the data segment, but if you mutter the right incantation they will be forced into text space.”

incantation, the chanting or reciting of any form of words deemed tohave magical power, usually in a brief rhyming spell with an insistent rhythm and other devices of repetition; or the form of words thus recited. Incantation is characteristic of magical charms, curses, prophecies, and the conjuring of spirits: a famous literary example is the witches' chant, ‘Double, double, toil and trouble’, in Macbeth. Poetry that resembles such chants may be called incantatory.

For other uses, see Incantation (disambiguation).

An incantation or incantations are the words spoken during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer invoking or praising a deity, or in magic, occultism, witchcraft with the intention of casting a spell on an object or a person. The term derives from Latin incantare (tr.), meaning "to chant (a magical spell) upon," from in- "into, upon" and cantare "to sing".

In medieval literature, folklore, fairy tales and modern fantasy fiction, enchantments (from the Old French enchantement) are charms or spells. The term was loaned into English since around AD 1300. The corresponding native English term being galdor "song, spell". It has led to the terms enchanter and enchantress, for those who use enchantments.

The weakened sense "delight" (compare the same development of charm) is modern, first attested in 1593 (OED).

Contents 1 Some collections of charms 2 In folklore and fiction 3 Effects of incantations 4 See also 5 References

Some collections of charms

• The Old English Metrical Charms
• The Carmina Gadelica, a collection of Gaelic oral poetry, much of it charms
• The Atharva Veda, a collection of charms, and the Rigveda, a collection of hymns or incantations
• Hittite ritual texts

In folklore and fiction

The enchantress Alcina makes herself appear beautiful, in Orlando Furioso

In traditional fairy tales or fantasy fiction, an enchantment is a magical spell that is attached, on a relatively-permanent basis, to a specific person, object or location, and alters its qualities, generally in a positive way. The most widely-known example is probably the spell that Cinderella's Fairy Godmother uses to turn a pumpkin into a coach. An enchantment with negative characteristics is usually instead referred to as a curse.

Conversely, enchantments are also used to describe spells that cause no real effects but deceive people, either by directly affecting their thoughts or using some kind of illusions. Enchantresses are frequently depicted as able to seduce by such magic. Other forms include deceiving people into believing that they have suffered a magical transformation.

Examples are "Abracadabra" as might be said by a magician during a trick, or the Stunning Spell in the Harry Potter books.

Effects of incantations

"The Enchanted Garden of Messer Ansaldo" by Marie Spartali Stillman

To be enchanted is to be under the influence of an enchantment, usually thought to be caused by charms or spells.

The Latin incantare, which means 'to utter an incantation', or cast a magic spell, forms the basis of the word "enchant", with deep linguistic roots going back to the Proto-Indo-European kan- prefix. So it can be said that an enchanter or enchantress casts magic spells, or utters incantations, similar to what are called Mantra in Sanskrit.

See also

• Carmen (verse), the term for an Ancient Roman incantation
• Mantra
• Prayer
• Yajna

References

• John Clute and John Grant, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - besværgelse, trylleformular

Nederlands (Dutch)
bezwering, toverspreuk

Français (French)
n. - incantation

Deutsch (German)
n. - Zauberspruch, Beschwörung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μαγική ρήση, επωδή (κν. ξόρκι), ψαλμωδία

Italiano (Italian)
incantesimo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - encantamento (m)

Русский (Russian)
заклинание

Español (Spanish)
n. - conjuro, exorcismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - besvärjelse(formel), magisk sång

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
咒语

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 咒語

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 주문, 마술

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 呪文, まじない, 魔法, まじないの儀式

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) تعويذة, رقيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮לחש, כישוף‬

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