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spell3

Syllabification: (spell)

Pronunciation: /spel/

Definition of spell

a short period:I want to get away from racing for a spell
a period spent in an activity:a spell of greenhouse work
a period of a specified kind of weather:an early cold spell in autumn
a period of suffering from a specified kind of illness:she plunges off a yacht and suffers a spell of amnesia
Australian a period of rest from work.

[with object] chiefly North American

allow (someone) to rest briefly by taking their place in some activity:I got sleepy and needed her to spell me for a while at the wheel
[no object] Australian take a brief rest:I’ll spell for a bit

Origin:

late 16th century: variant of dialect spele 'take the place of', of unknown origin. The early sense of the noun was 'shift of relief workers'

Definition of spell in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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