n. A spelk, or splinter.v. To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve.n. The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another.n. The time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks.n. One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.n. A gratuitous helping forward of another's work.n. A story; a tale.n. A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.v. To tell; to relate; to teach.v. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.v. To constitute; to measure.v. To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.v. To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; -- usually with outverb-intransitive. To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.verb-intransitive. To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.