Quasifascinated
əˌneɪt verb (used with object)
1.
to attract and hold attentively by a unique power, personal charm, unusual nature, or some other special quality; enthrall: a vivacity that fascinated the audience.
2.
to arouse the interest or curiosity of; allure.
3.
to transfix or deprive of the power of resistance, as through terror: The sight of the snake fascinated the rabbit.
4.
Obsolete. to bewitch.
5.
Obsolete. to cast under a spell by a look.
verb (used without object)
6.
to capture the interest or hold the attention.
00:10
Quasifascinated
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin fascinātus, past participle of fascināre to bewitch, cast a spell on, verbal derivative of fascinum evil spell, bewitchment
1590–1600; < Latin fascinātus, past participle of fascināre to bewitch, cast a spell on, verbal derivative of fascinum evil spell, bewitchment
Related forms
fas·ci·nat·ed·ly, adverb
fas·ci·na·tive, adjective
half-fas·ci·nat·ed, adjective
qua·si-fas·ci·nat·ed, adjective
un·fas·ci·nat·ed, adjective
Synonyms
1. bewitch, enchant, spellbind, charm.
1. bewitch, enchant, spellbind, charm.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To quasifascinated
Collins
World English Dictionary
fascinate (ˈfæsɪˌneɪt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to attract and delight by arousing interest or curiosity: his stories fascinated me for hours |
| 2. | to render motionless, as with a fixed stare or by arousing terror or awe |
| 3. | archaic to put under a spell |
| [C16: from Latin fascināre, from fascinum a bewitching] | |
| usage A person can be fascinated by or with another person or thing. It is correct to speak of someone's fascination with a person or thing; one can also say a person or thing has a fascination for someone | |
| 'fascinatedly | |
| —adv | |
| fasci'nation | |
| —n | |
| 'fascinative | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fascinate
1590s, "bewitch, enchant," from M.Fr. fasciner, from L. fascinatus, pp. of fascinare "bewitch, enchant," from fascinus "spell, witchcraft," of uncertain origin. Possibly from Gk. baskanos "bewitcher, sorcerer," with form influenced by L. fari "speak" (see fame). The Gk. word
may be from a Thracian equivalent of Gk. phaskein "to say;" cf. also enchant, and Ger. besprechen "to charm," from sprechen "to speak." Earliest used of witches and of serpents, who were said to be able to cast a spell by a look that rendered one unable to move or resist. Sense of "delight, attract" is first recorded 1815. Related: Fascinated; fascinating.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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