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glamour

 - 3 dictionary results

glam⋅our

[glam-er]
–noun
1. the quality of fascinating, alluring, or attracting, esp. by a combination of charm and good looks.
2. excitement, adventure, and unusual activity: the glamour of being an explorer.
3. magic or enchantment; spell; witchery.
–adjective
4. suggestive or full of glamour; glamorous: a glamour job in television; glamour stocks.
Also, glamor.


Origin:
1710–20; earlier glammar, dissimilated var. of grammar in sense of occult learning


See -or.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To glamour
glam·our also glam·or   (glām'ər)   
n.  
  1. An air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring.

  2. Archaic A magic spell; enchantment.


[Scots, magic spell, alteration of grammar (from the association of learning with magic).]
Usage Note: Many words, such as honor, vapor, and labor, are usually spelled with an -or ending in American English but with an -our ending in British English. The preferred spelling of glamour, however, is -our, making it an exception to the usual American practice. The adjective is more often spelled glamorous in both American and British usage.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

glamour 
1720, "magic, enchantment" (especially in phrase to cast the glamour), a variant of Scot. gramarye "magic, enchantment, spell," alt. of Eng. grammar (q.v.) with a medieval sense of "any sort of scholarship, especially occult learning." Popularized by the writings of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). Sense of "magical beauty, alluring charm" first recorded 1840. Glamorous is 1882 (slang shortening glam first attested 1936); glamorize is 1936.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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