Etymograph

English

incant

Incant comes from Latin incantō ‘to consecrate with spells’, from cantō ‘synonym of canō’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- ‘to sing’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂n-1‘to sing’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂néti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kanō1‘to sing’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanō1‘to sing, recite, play’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcantō1‘synonym of canō’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantō2‘to consecrate with spells’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2012incant2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin incanto
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English incant
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, David Walliams pseudonym; David Edward W, Ratburger: “Did you speak, child?” she whispered, as if she…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keh₂n-Wiktionary, Latin incanto‘to sing’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂nétiWiktionary, Latin incantoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kanōWiktionary, Latin incanto‘to sing’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanōWiktionary, Latin incanto‘to sing, recite, play’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcantōWiktionary, Latin incanto‘synonym of canō’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantōWiktionary, English incant‘to consecrate with spells’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2012incantWiktionary, English incant. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, David Walliams pseudonym; David Edward W, Ratburger: “Did you speak, child?” she whispered, as if she…”

first attested First attested in 1546 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested in 1546; borrowed from Latin incantō.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin canō ‘to sing, recite, play’

accent, incentive, chanting, bazooka, enchantment, cantor, chanson, chantry, enchanter, chanter, canticle, 42 more

through Latin cantō ‘synonym of canō’

chant, shanty, recant, 10 more

through Latin incantō ‘to consecrate with spells’

enchant, 2 more

Today it means

verb To state solemnly, to chant.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “incant”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin incanto. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- / incant

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