The eNotes Blog Fact in Fiction The Top 20 Harry Potter SpellsDeciphered

Fact in Fiction The Top 20 Harry Potter SpellsDeciphered With the release of the last Harry Potter book,  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Potterheads everywhere can rejoice in one final installation of this epic tale. We used this as a chance to revisit some of the most iconic words uttered throughout the series- spells, charms, and curses- and find the root of their meaning. 1. Expecto Patronum A charm that creates a Patronus.  Expecto means I await in Latin, and Patronum means patron. We can surmise that Patronus, Latin for guardian, is what is being awaited. Expecto Patronum = I await a guardian. 2. Accio A charm that summons an object.  Accio simply means summon in Latin. Accio = summon. 3. Wingardium Leviosa A charm that makes objects fly.  This one is a sort of pseudo-Latin.  Wing can simply be taken from the English word, and  levis is Latin for lightweight. Together, these words make sense in a charm that makes things fly. 4.  Expelliarmus A charm that disarms ones opponent.  Expello  means to banish and  arma is Latin for weapons. Expelliarmus = to banish weapons. 5.  Lumos A spell that creates light at the tip of the casters wand.  Lumen is simply Latin for light. Lumos = light. 6.  Alohomora A charm that opens locked objects. J.K Rowling claims that  alohomora is a West African word meaning friendly to thieves. It seems to make perfect sense, since what thieves wouldnt want a door unlocked? 7.  Avada Kedavra A curse that murders ones  opponent. Avada Kedavra  seems to actually be the Aramaic form of the infamous phrase abracadabra, meaning let the thing be destroyed. 8.  Sectumsempra A spell that inflicts slash wounds.  Sectus  is Latin for cut up and  semper is Latin for always. Sectumsempra = always cut up. 9.  Obliviate A charm that erases memories. From the Medieval Latin word  obliviscor, which means to forget, obliviate literally means forget. 10.  Riddikulus A spell used to defeat a Boggart. Riddikulus seems to be a made-up spelling of the Latin word  ridiculus, which means the same as  ridiculous in English. This in itself is derived from  rideo, which means to laugh at or to smile. 11.  Imperio A curse that allows the caster to control a person.  Imperio is Latin for command. As a curse giving total control over someone, it checks out. Imperio = command. 12.  Petrificus Totalus A curse that paralyzes ones opponent. The Greek  petros means rock or stone, and the Latin  facio means cause to happen. That coupled with the Medieval Latin  totalis or classical Latin  totus, both meaning whole or entire, leaves petrificus totalus meaning to cause the entire thing to turn to stone.   13.  Stupefy A spell that knocks out ones opponent.  Stupeo means to be stunned in Latin, and  fio is Latin for cause to happen. Stupefy = cause someone to be stunned. 14.  Crucio A curse that inflicts torturous  pain on ones opponent.  Crucio literally means torture in Latin. How easy is that? Crucio = torture. 15.  Incendio A spell that starts a fire.  Incendo is Latin for set fire to. Incendio = set fire to. 16.  Aguamenti A charm that shoots water from the tip of ones wand.  Aqua in Latin- or  agua in Spanish- means water, and  augmen  is Latin for  growth. Aguamenti = growing water. 17.  Expulso A charm that makes blocking objects explode.  Ex translates to away in Latin, and  pulso means I strike. Expulso = I strike things away. 18.  Protego A charm that causes a spell to reflect onto its caster. Another direct translation, the Latin word  protego means to cover or  to protect. In this case, it applies to the charms ability to protect the caster. Protego = protect. 19.  Reducto A spell that explodes solid objects.  Reducto means having been reduced in Latin. Contextually, it seems that this applies to the objects being reduced into their most basic form, i.e. they are exploded into much smaller pieces. 20.  Reparo A spell that repairs broken or damaged objects.  Reparo is Latin for restore or renew. Easy, right? Reparo = restore. Need a refresher about the previous books? Check out the Harry Potter novels summary, or read about each book in order: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Teachers:  Take a look at our Harry Potter lesson plan and teaching unit!