Etymograph

English

incantation

Incantation comes from Latin incantatio ‘enchantment’, from canō ‘to sing, recite, play’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-.

  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‘to enchant, or call forth by charms, chant’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantō2‘sing, recite, enchant’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantatio3‘enchantment’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400incantation3
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500incantacioun3
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1591incantation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin incanto
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin incantatio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English incantation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “My ancient Incantations are too weake, / And hell…”.

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‘to enchant, or call forth by charms, chant’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantōWiktionary, Latin incantatio‘sing, recite, enchant’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEincantatioWiktionary, English incantation‘enchantment’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400incantationWiktionary, English incantation
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500incantaciounWiktionary, English incantation
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1591incantationWiktionary, English incantation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “My ancient Incantations are too weake, / And hell…”

Linked words

through Latin canō ‘to sing, recite, play’

accent, incentive, chanting, cantor, bazooka, enchantment, chantry, chanson, recant, enchanter, chanter, canticle, 41 more

through Latin cantō ‘to enchant, or call forth by charms, chant’

cant, chant, shanty, 10 more

through Latin incantō ‘sing, recite, enchant’

enchant, 2 more

Today it means

noun The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “incantation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin incanto, Latin incantatio. 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- / incantation

Shirt and support for this word