[*** \mathrm{spell}^1] |spel|

source: plot explanation - Chihiro's name turning to Sen - Movies & TV Stack Exchange

verb (past and past participle spelled |speld| or chiefly British spelt |spelt| ) with object

write or name the letters that form (a word) in correct sequence:

〈人が〉〈語〉をつづる, …のつづりを言う, 書く; 〖～ A (as) B〗 AをBとつづる (!〖名詞〗としては用いない→ spelling)

e.g. Dolly spelled her name

(正しく)語をつづる; 語のつづりを言う, 書く

e.g. no object : journals have a house style about how to spell.

(of letters) make up or form (a word):

〈文字が〉(つづられて)〈語〉になる (!受け身にしない)

e.g. the letters spell the word “how.”.

be recognizable as a sign or characteristic of:

e.g. she had the chic, efficient look that spells Milan.

lead to:

｟話｠ 〈事が〉 «…にとって» 〈好ましくない結果〉を招く, もたらす; 〈好ましくない事〉を意味する «for» (!進行形にしない)

e.g. the plans would spell disaster for the economy.

speak the letters that form a word in sequence.

explain something in detail:

e.g. I'll spell out the problem again.

spellable adjective

Middle English: shortening of Old French espeller, from the Germanic base of spell2.

[*** \mathrm{spell}^2] |spel|

a form of words used as a magical charm or incantation.

呪文, まじない; 呪文, まじないの文句

a state of enchantment caused by a magic spell:

e.g. the magician may cast a spell on himself.

an ability to control or influence people as though one had magical power over them:

〖通例単数形で〗魔力, 魔法; 魅力

e.g. she is afraid that you are waking from her spell.

not fully in control of one's thoughts and actions, as though in a state of enchantment.

so devoted to someone that they seem to have magic power over one:

e.g. throughout her long life people fell under her spell.

Old English spel(l)‘narration’, of Germanic origin.

[*** \mathrm{spell}^3] |spel|

a short period:

しばらくの間

e.g. I want to get away from racing for a spell.

a period spent in an activity:

(活動･仕事の)一時期; 一仕事; «…の» 順番, 交替 «at, on»

e.g. a spell of greenhouse work.

a period of a specified kind of weather:

(ある天候が続く)期間, 一続き

e.g. an early cold spell in autumn.

a period of suffering from a specified kind of illness:

(病気の)一時期, 発作

e.g. she plunges off a yacht and suffers a spell of amnesia.

Australian/NZ a period of rest from work.

｟豪･ニュージー｠ 休息時間.

verb with object

chiefly North American allow (someone) to rest briefly by taking their place in some activity:

｟主に米･豪｠ (しばらくの間)〈人〉と交替する; (代わって)〈人〉を休ませる.

e.g. I got sleepy and needed her to spell me for a while at the wheel.

no object Australian/NZ take a brief rest:

｟豪｠ 休息する

e.g. I'll spell for a bit.

late 16th century: variant of dialect spele‘take the place of’, of unknown origin. The early sense of the noun was ‘shift of relief workers’.

[*** \mathrm{spell}^4] |spel|

a splinter of wood.

late Middle English: perhaps a variant of obsolete speld‘chip, splinter’.