Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An air of compelling charm, romance, and excitement, especially when delusively alluring.
- n. Archaic A magic spell; enchantment.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Enchantment; a supposed influence of a charm on the eye, causing it to see objects under an unreal semblance; hence, anything that obscures or deceives vision, physical or mental; fascination; charm; witchery. Compare gramary (originally the same word).
- To charm; bewitch.
Wiktionary
- n. an item, motif, person, image that by association improves appearance
- n. Witchcraft; magic charm; a spell affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are.
- n. A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.
- n. Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, or person, through which it or they appear delusively magnified or glorified.
- n. Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex-appeal)
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A charm affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are.
- n. Witchcraft; magic; a spell.
- n. A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are.
- n. Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, through which it appears delusively magnified or glorified.
WordNet 3.0
- n. alluring beauty or charm (often with sex-appeal)
- v. cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something
Etymologies
- Scots, magic spell, alteration of grammar (from the association of learning with magic).
Examples
“Even the word glamour has magic roots, as a charm cast to transform appearances.”
“Berry is a vocal critic of what he calls the glamour of newness, ease, and affluence; and a champion of distraction.”
“It is what you call a glamour, an interlude of witchcraft.”
“That's not work, that's what we call the glamour gig," he laughs of his too-brief time on the set of Hellboy 2.”
“But the emblem of Indian glamour is in the throes of a comeback, and these women had come to the DLF Emporio mall to attend "sari school.”
The Washington Post: Reinvention of the sari brings a comeback on catwalks, at cocktail parties
“Both book and film stripped the glamour from the mafia and revealed its protagonists for what they were: ruthless, banal, sociopathic thugs far removed from elegant, Godfatherly sophistication and singing in a very different choir from the Sopranos.”
The Guardian: Beauty and the Inferno by Roberto Saviano – Review
“In the documentary, more glamour is added when the lanky model, Hilary Rhoda of Chevy Chase, Md., wears the precious stone in the new setting.”
“Ms. Jung is a corporate celebrity in China, where she has been dubbed "glamour queen" by some local media.”
“The flip side of glamour is horror: the vampire, the con man, the femme fatale, the double agent.”
“In any case glamour is neither a goal nor a particularly favorable circumstance in most cases, but rather an affliction attached to some good work after the myth-makers and the icon-builders have got hold of it.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘glamour’.
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UK Usage - Find US Equivalent
All these terms have a (different) American English equivalent. Wonder if you can identify them?
abridgement (abri..., accoutrement, accoutre, acknowledgement (..., opposite, advert, adaptor, adapter, sticking plaster, advertise, adviser (advisor ..., adze, aesthete and 1196 more...
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jaydrox's list
Mah list!
mediocracy, captivatingly, devastatingly, dazedly, heavenly, flawless, copious, conviction, synoptic, amalgamation, prefatory, precursory and 150 more...
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English words of Scots origin
If it's not ...
blackmail, blatant, caddie, caddy, clan, convene, cosy, firth, glamour, gloaming, golf, glengarry and 15 more...
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Anglo-Norman
English words of Norman-French origin.
wage, wait, war, wicket, warranty, guarantee, guard, warden, guardian, glamour, grammar, catch and 30 more...
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charms
all sorts of ...fortune, gnome, green, chance, luck, gheluc, success, good, spells, hypnotic, prosperity, blessing and 38 more...
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words to describe everything GOLD
emotions, reactions, senses, how do we feel when we wear gold, generational, memories,
Sensual, illuminated, history, intricate, classic, bright, luxe, sparkly, splashy, metallic, perfection, gilt and 30 more...
whichbe Virginia Postrel: The power of glamour Oct 18, 2008
punchcard glamour
In his book It, Stephen King uses the word "glamour" in reference to the creature known as "It" or "Pennywise", saying that it means a creature able either truly to change its shape and/or physical appearance at will, or to be seen as different things by different people. Sep 27, 2008
treeseed (n.)a physical illusion created by magic Feb 6, 2008