fascinate

English

Etymology

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈfæsɪneɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Verb

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

1. To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.

   The flickering TV fascinated the cat.

2. 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.

3. To be irresistibly charming or attractive to.

   Her gait fascinates all men.

Derived terms

• fascinating

Related terms

• fascination

Translations

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)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} facinar (io)

Italian

Noun

fascinate f

1. plural of fascinata

Anagrams

• fasciante, sfiancate

Latin

Verb

fascināte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of fascinō

Spanish

Verb

fascinate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of fascinar combined with te