Word of the Week – Glamour

These days when we talk about glamour, we tend to mean that something has an attractiveness associated with high fashion, Hollywood, or celebrity. But until 1939 when that meaning gained popularity, glamour meant something entirely different.

Glamour actually shares roots with grammar, which we looked at last week, and when the Scottish variation was first recorded in 1715, it had nothing to do with the “rules of language” meaning of grammar and instead focused on the “magic, enchantment” sense of the original word. To cast the glamour was to cast a spell on someone. (For any fantasy readers out there, you’re probably familiar with this use of glamour; it’s used frequently in the genre when someone has magic that enables them to change their appearance.)

The word was popularized by the late 1700s and early 1800s by Sir Walter Scott, who used glamour in his writing. By around 1840, the word had evolved to mean “magical beauty, alluring charm.” And from there, we get that version we have today, which specific high-fashion or glitz associated with celebrity.

Also around 1840, we get the verb form, which meant “to enchant, to bewitch.”

Word Nerds Merch!