Word Study
glamour
CIDE DICTIONARY
glamour, n. [Scot. glamour, glamer; cf. Icel. glámeggdr one who is troubled with the glaucoma (?); or Icel. glām-s weakness of sight, glamour; glāmr name of the moon, also of a ghost + s sight, akin to E. see. Perh., however, a corruption of E. gramarye.].
- A charm affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are. [1913 Webster]
- Witchcraft; magic; a spell. Tennyson. [1913 Webster]
- A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are. [1913 Webster]"The air filled with a strange, pale glamour that seemed to lie over the broad valley." [1913 Webster]
- Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, through which it appears delusively magnified or glorified. [1913 Webster]"It had much of glamour might
To make a lady seem a knight." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
glamour, n. & v. (US glamor)
--n.
1 physical attractiveness, esp. when achieved by make-up etc.
2 alluring or exciting beauty or charm (the glamour of New York).
--v.tr.
1 poet. affect with glamour; bewitch; enchant.
2 colloq. make glamorous.
--n.
1 physical attractiveness, esp. when achieved by make-up etc.
2 alluring or exciting beauty or charm (the glamour of New York).
--v.tr.
1 poet. affect with glamour; bewitch; enchant.
2 colloq. make glamorous.
Idiom
cast a glamour over enchant. glamour girl (or boy) an attractive young woman (or man), esp. a model etc.
Derivative
glamorous adj. glamorously adv.
Etymology
18th c.: var. of GRAMMAR, with ref. to the occult practices associated with learning in the Middle Ages
THESAURUS
glamour
agacerie, alchemy, allure, allurement, appeal, appealingness, attraction, attractiveness, aura, beguilement, beguiling, bewitchery, bewitchment, blandishment, blaze of glory, brightness, brilliance, brilliancy, cajolery, cantrip, captivation, charisma, charm, charmingness, come-hither, curse, delightfulness, divination, enchantment, enravishment, enthrallment, enticement, entrancement, entrapment, envelope, evil eye, exorcism, exquisiteness, fascination, fetishism, flirtation, forbidden fruit, gloriousness, glory, gorgeousness, grace, gramarye, halo, heavenliness, hex, hoodoo, illustriousness, inducement, interest, inveiglement, invitation, invitingness, jinx, juju, jujuism, loveliness, luster, luxury, magic, magic spell, magnetism, malocchio, mystique, natural magic, necromancy, nimbus, numinousness, obeah, radiance, ravishingness, resplendence, resplendency, rune, seducement, seduction, seductiveness, sensuousness, sex appeal, shamanism, snaring, sorcery, sortilege, spell, spellbinding, spellcasting, splendidness, splendor, splendorousness, splendrousness, sublimity, sympathetic magic, tantalization, tantalizingness, temptation, temptingness, thaumaturgia, thaumaturgics, thaumaturgism, thaumaturgy, theurgy, vampirism, voluptuousness, voodoo, voodooism, wanga, weird, whammy, white magic, winning ways, winningness, winsomeness, witchcraft, witchery, witchwork, wizardry, wooingFor further exploring for "glamour" in Webster Dictionary Online
