fascinate
Formsfascinates, fascinating, fascinated
- 1To awaken intense interest or a strong sense of attraction in someone.
Ancient burial sites fascinate archaeologists across the world.
Her stories about deep-sea creatures fascinated everyone at the table.
UsageYou are fascinated by or with something, and the thing is fascinating.
- 2To hold someone motionless and transfixed, as though held by a spell.
Some snakes appear to fascinate their prey, freezing it in place.
Old folk tales claimed that a rattlesnake could fascinate a rabbit, holding it frozen until the snake struck.
Similartransfix, mesmerize, hypnotize, spellbind, rivet
Note
The verb's Latin force survives here. Fascinō meant "to enchant, bewitch," and comes from fascinum, a word for both a phallus-shaped amulet worn in ancient Rome and witchcraft itself. Rider Haggard's She (1886–87) gives the classic picture: a man fascinated "as a bird is fascinated by a snake."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 6 facts
- Latin fascinō meant to enchant or bewitch. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinō derives from fascinum. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinum denoted a phallic amulet and witchcraft in ancient Rome. en.wiktionary.org
- H. Rider Haggard wrote She. gutenberg.org
- She first appeared serially in 1886–87; the date range describes its serialization. en.wikisource.org
- The quotation occurs in She, where the narrator describes Leo's fascination. gutenberg.org
Practice
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Origin
It was borrowed from Latin fascinātus, the past participle of fascinō ("to enchant, bewitch, fascinate"), which comes from fascinum (a phallus-shaped amulet worn in Ancient Rome, also meaning "witchcraft"); the ultimate origin is obscure.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
- English fascinate was borrowed from Latin fascinātus. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinātus is the past participle of fascinō. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinō means to enchant, bewitch or fascinate. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinō derives from fascinum. en.wiktionary.org
- Fascinum denoted a phallic amulet and witchcraft in ancient Rome. en.wiktionary.org
- The ultimate origin of fascinum is obscure. en.wiktionary.org