spell

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun A short, indefinite period of time.
• noun Informal A period of weather of a particular kind.
• noun One's turn at work.
• noun A period of work; a shift.
• noun Australian A period of rest.
• noun Informal A period of physical or mental disorder or distress.
• noun Informal A short distance.
• intransitive verb To relieve (someone) from work temporarily by taking a turn.
• intransitive verb To allow (someone) to rest a while.
• intransitive verb To take turns working.
• intransitive verb Australian To rest for a time from an activity.
• noun A word or formula believed to have magic power.
• noun A bewitched state or trance.
• noun A compelling attraction; charm or fascination.
• transitive verb To put (someone) under a spell; bewitch.
• intransitive verb To name or write in order the letters constituting (a word).
• intransitive verb To constitute the letters of (a word).
• intransitive verb To add up to; signify.
• intransitive verb To name or write in order the letters of a word or words.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To take the place of (another person) temporarily in doing something; take turns with; relieve for a time; give a rest to.
• noun A tale; story; narrative.
• noun Speech; word of mouth; direct address.
• noun A charm consisting of some words of supposed occult power; any form of words, whether written or spoken, supposed to be endowed with magical virtues; an incantation; hence, any means or cause of enchantment, literally or figuratively; a magical or an enthralling charm; a condition of enchantment; fascination; as, to cast a spell over a person; to be under a spell, or bound by a spell.
• noun A chip, splinter, or splint.
• noun In the game of nur-and-spell, the steel spring by which the nur is thrown into the air.
• noun One of the transverse pieces at the bottom of a chair which strengthen and keep together the legs.
• To tell; relate; teach; disclose.
• To act as a spell upon; entrance; enthrall; fascinate; charm.
• To imbue with magic properties.
• To tell; tell a story; give an account.
• noun A turn of work or duty in place of another; an interval of relief by another person; an exchange of work and rest: as, to take one's regular spell; to work the pumps by spells.
• noun Hence. A continuous course of employment in work or duty; a turn of occupation between periods of rest; a bout.
• noun An interval of. rest or relaxation; a turn or period of relief from work; a resting-time.
• noun Any interval of time within definite limits; an unbroken term or period.
• noun A short period, indefinitely; an odd or occasional interval; an uncertain term; a while.
• noun A bad turn; an uncomfortable time; a period of personal ailment or ill feeling.
• To tell or set forth letter by letter; set down letter by letter; tell the letters of; form by or in letters.
• To read letter by letter, or with laborious effort; hence, to discover by careful study; make out point by point: often with out or orer.
• To constitute, as letters constitute a word; make up.
• To form words with the proper letters, in either reading or writing; repeat or set down the letters of words.
• To make a study; engage in careful contemplation of something.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun obsolete A story; a tale.
• noun A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.
• noun 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.
• noun 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.