fascinate

Definitions

fascin (to bewitch, cast a spell) + -ate (verb). Literally "to put under a spell." In Latin fascināre meant to bewitch or harm someone with the evil eye — to fix them with a paralyzing gaze. The dark magic faded, but the core stayed: to seize someone's attention so completely they can't look away.

Why It Means This

The word still carries its passive logic: things fascinate you, and you are fascinated by them. That's why being fascinated feels involuntary — a leftover of the original meaning, where a spell did the work and the victim simply fell under it.

Common Collocations

• 1.fascinate someone使某人着迷
• 2.endlessly fascinate令人无穷着迷
• 3.be fascinated by被……深深吸引

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Ancient Egypt has fascinated archaeologists for over two centuries.

• 2.

  The children were fascinated by the magician's every move.

• 3.

  What fascinates me most is how the brain stores memories.

Synonym Comparison