ensorcell

Ensorcelled means bewitched or under the spell of someone or something.

Ensorcelled is the past tense form of the verb ensorcell and it can also be used as an adjective. The term typically refers to someone who has literally been put in a trance (as in fantasy stories) or to someone whose attention has been captured as if by magic (especially by a person they think is charming or beautiful).

Example: All of the townsfolk had become ensorcelled by the magician’s evil spell and walked about as if in a trance.

The verb ensorcell comes from the Middle French word ensorceler (meaning “to bewitch”), which is a variant of the Middle French ensorcerer. These terms are all related to the more commonly known words sorcerer, sorceress, and sorcery. The Latin root sors means “fate.”

The word ensorcelled has a magical, mystical, medieval quality that is often associated with witches, wizards, sorcerers, and other spellcasters from tales of fantasy and legend, such as Merlin, the magician of the King Arthur legends. But while Merlin is portrayed as using his powers for good, the word ensorcelled is often associated with evil spells or curses, especially ones that cause people to do things against their will. In cartoons, those who have been ensorcelled in such a way are often shown as sleepwalking or having a swirling pattern in their eyes, meant to indicate that they have been hypnotized or are under some kind of spell. (Usually such a spell must be broken in some way before the person can go back to normal.) Objects can be ensorcelled, too—a ring or crown might have a curse put upon it, or an everyday object might be made to come alive. In all of these cases, bewitched and enchanted are much more commonly used to describe such things.

Ensorcelled can also be used to describe real-life situations in which people have come under someone’s or something’s spell. A person could be ensorcelled by someone’s charm or beauty, or by something like a beautiful piece of music or their first sight of the ocean. Still, ensorcelled is rarely used—more common terms include enchanted, bewitched, entranced, charmed, mystified, enthralled, and hypnotized.

What are some other forms of ensorcelled?

• ensorcell (verb)
• ensorcel (verb, alternate spelling)
• ensorcellment (noun)

What are some synonyms for ensorcelled?

• bewitched
• enchanted
• entranced
• charmed
• enthralled

What are some words that share a root or word element with ensorcelled? 

• sorcery
• sorcerer
• sorceress

What are some words that often get used in discussing ensorcelled?

• magic
• witchcraft
• spell
• curse
• wizard
• beauty
• charm

The word ensorcelled is often used in the context of fantasy tales. It can also be used to indicate that someone has become enchanted by someone or something due to its strong appeal.

Watching Sleeping Beauty with my daughters. So much fodder for #DnD here.

The fairies whose magic can only do good, for instance. Sounds like a brilliant curse if applied differently. An evil person cursed to do good things.

A castle of ensorcelled denizens lost in sleep. pic.twitter.com/scpGttWYBn

— Aaron the Pedantic (@cha_neg) February 22, 2020

You see a dire troll, it is being ensorcelled by a true good monk.

— Argh, Fake Monsters! (@ArghFakeMonster) March 1, 2020

In the charred wreckage of the mad wizard's lab, you find an ensorcelled serenading sword! It has an Orcish accent and it only does embarrassingly rude limericks.

— Dungeon Junk (@dungeon_junk) March 6, 2020

Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of ensorcelled?

A. disenchanted
B. enraptured
C. mesmerized
D. fascinated