Attracts and holds someone's interest or attention in a strong way that makes them unable to look away or stop thinking about something.
From Latin 'fascinare' meaning 'to bewitch or enchant' (possibly from 'fascis' meaning 'bundle' or from an older root meaning 'to fix with the evil eye'). The word evolved from magical meanings to describe any powerful attraction.
The original Latin root might mean 'evil eye'—ancient people believed staring intensely could actually harm someone, which is wild considering we now know fascination is just really focused attention!
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