(n.) A spelk, or splinter.
(v. t.) To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of,
at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.
(n.) The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or
watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or
gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the
masthead.
(n.) The time during which one person or gang works until
relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few
hours, days, or weeks.
(n.) One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.
(n.) A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a
logging spell.
(n.) A story; a tale.
(n.) A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with
magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
(v. t.) To tell; to relate; to teach.
(v. t.) To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a
spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.
(v. t.) To constitute; to measure.
(v. t.) To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a
word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper
letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.
(v. t.) To discover by characters or marks; to read with
difficulty; -- usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an
author; to spell out a verse in the Bible.
(v. i.) To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters,
either orally or in writing.
(v. i.) To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn
the meaning of anything, by study.
