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Charm vs Harm - What's the difference?

charm | harm |

As a noun charm

is an object, act or words believed to have magic power or charm can be the mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.

As a verb charm

is to seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something.

As a proper noun harm is

, low german, derived from herman, meaning "army man".

charm

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) charme'' (chant, magic spell), from (etyl) ''carmen (song, incantation)

Noun

(en noun)
  • An object, act or words believed to have magic power.
    • a charm against evil
    It works like a charm .
  • The ability to persuade, delight or arouse admiration; often constructed in the plural.
    • He had great personal charm .
    She tried to win him over with her charms .
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Charms strike the sight, but merit wins the soul.
  • * Milton
    • the charm of beauty's powerful glance
  • (physics) A quantum number of hadrons]] determined by the quantity of [[charm quark, charm quarks & antiquarks.
  • A small trinket on a bracelet or chain, etc., traditionally supposed to confer luck upon the wearer.
    • She wears a charm bracelet on her wrist.
    Synonyms
    * (something with magic power ): amulet, incantation, spell, talisman * (quality of arousing delight or admiration ): appeal, attraction, charisma * (trinket ): amulet, dangle, ornament
    Antonyms
    * (quality of arousing delight or admiration ): boredom, dryness
    See also
    * quark

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To seduce, persuade or fascinate someone or something.
  • * (John Milton)
    • They, on their mirth and dance / Intent, with jocund music charm his ear.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=The Celebrity, by arts unknown, induced Mrs. Judge Short and two other ladies to call at Mohair on an afternoon when Mr. Cooke was trying a trotter on the track. The three returned wondering and charmed with Mrs. Cooke; they were sure she had had no hand in the furnishing of that atrocious house.}}
  • To use a magical charm upon; to subdue, control, or summon by incantation or supernatural influence.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • No witchcraft charm thee!
  • To protect with, or make invulnerable by, spells, charms, or supernatural influences.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • I, in my own woe charmed , / Could not find death.
  • (obsolete, rare) To make music upon.
  • * (Edmund Spenser)
    • Here we our slender pipes may safely charm .
  • To subdue or overcome by some secret power, or by that which gives pleasure; to allay; to soothe.
  • * (Alexander Pope)
    • Music the fiercest grief can charm .
    Synonyms
    * (seduce, entrance or fascinate ): delight, enchant, entrance, win one over * (use magic ): bewitch, enchant, ensorcel, enspell

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 2

    Variant of (chirm), from (etyl) chirme, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The mixed sound of many voices, especially of birds or children.
  • * 1667 , John Milton, Paradise Lost , Book IV:
    • Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet, / With charm of earliest Birds
  • * Spenser
    • free liberty to chant our charms at will
  • * 1955 , William Golding, The Inheritors , Faber and Faber 2005, p. 152:
    • The laughter rose like the charm of starlings.
  • A flock, group (especially of finches).

    • Anagrams

    * English collective nouns ----

    harm

    English

    (wikipedia harm)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Injury; hurt; damage; detriment; misfortune.
  • * , chapter=13
    • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.}}
  • That which causes injury, damage, or loss.
  • * (William Shakespeare)
    • We, ignorant of ourselves, / Beg often our own harms .

    Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "harm": bodily, physical, environmental, emotional, financial, serious, irreparable, potential, long-term, short-term, permanent, lasting, material, substantial.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cause injury to another; to hurt; to cause damage to something.

    • Derived terms

    * do no harm * harmer * harmless * harm's way * self-harm * unharmed

    Anagrams

    * ----