Link Centre Dictionary

fascination

fas·ci·na·tion

US/fæsɪˈneɪʃən/ uncommon archaic

noun

1.

the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)

Synonyms
2.
3.

the capacity to attract intense interest

  • “he held the children spellbound with magic tricks and other fascinations”

Origin

From Latin fascinare ("to bewitch"), possibly from Ancient Greek βασκαίνιεν (baskaínien, “to speak ill of; to curse”). Morphologically fascinate + -ion.

Phrases

  • dread fascination

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.