8 Famous 'Harry Potter' Spells and Their Real-life Origins

Is there an aspiring witch or wizard in your life? You may have some fun new facts to share with them after reading this article. Anna Zheludkova / Shutterstock

Something that makes the "Harry Potter" books fun to read for adults — not just kids — is author J. K. Rowling's use of wordplay. Names are often literary references or jokes, and many of the "Harry Potter" spells provide a clear hint at their function for anyone familiar with Latin or Greek.

Some spells are straightforward: The confundus charm confuses (or confounds) its recipient, the lumos spell produces a light (or illumination) at the end of the caster's wand, avis is a bird-conjuring charm (note the connection to aviary) and the sonorus spell amplifies the sound of the caster's voice. Other spells have more obscure origins.

Here, we'll explore some of the most famous spells featured in the "Harry Potter" books and movies.

1. Accio

What it is: summoning charm
What it means: Accio is the first-person conjugation of the Latin verb accersere (to summon). So accio simply means "I summon."
Claim to fame: In "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," Harry uses accio to summon his broomstick and fly away from a dragon during the Triwizard Tournament.

2. Alohomora

What it is: unlocking charm
What it means: During a 2008 copyright trial, J. K. Rowling said alohomora was inspired by a West African word meaning "favorable to thieves." In fact, alohomora is a Malagasy word, spoken in Madagascar, an island off the coast of East Africa. In sikidy, a Malagasy form of geomancy, the arrangement alohamora can be "favorable to thieves." It can also mean "the diviner" or "heartbreak" — like all forms of divination, sikidy is open to interpretation.
Claim to fame: In "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Hermione Granger uses alohomora to unlock the door to the forbidden third-floor corridor, which is how the gang first encounters Fluffy, the three-headed-dog.

3. Avada Kedavra

What it is: killing curse accompanied by a flash of green light
What it means: In the Syrian dialect Aramaic, avada kedavra (אַבַדָא כְּדַברָא) means "let the thing be destroyed." It's also the origin of "abracadabra."
Claim to fame: Lord Voldemort used this curse — the most evil spell in the wizarding world — to kill Harry Potter's parents. When the curse failed to kill young Harry, he became known as "the boy who lived." It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses. The other two are the Imperius curse (mind control) and the Cruciatus curse (bodily torture).

4. Duro

What it is: freezing spell, transforms the recipient into stone
What it means: Duro is a Latin verb meaning "I harden," which makes perfect sense for a hardening charm. If you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you'll know duro as an adjective meaning "hard."
Claim to fame: Hermione used duro in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" to transform a tapestry into stone so that it could land on some Death Eaters.

5. Episkey

What it is: healing spell for minor injuries
What it means: In Greek, episkeví (επισκευή) means "to repair or refit."
Claim to fame: In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Tonks uses episkey to heal Harry after Draco Malfoy petrifies him, causing Harry to break his nose. Healing spells can be tricky: Another spell used to heal broken bones, brackium emendo, caused Harry's bones to disappear when performed incorrectly by Gilderoy Lockhart in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban."

6. Expecto Patronum

What it is: a way to drive away dementors
What it means: In Latin, exspecto means "I await," while patronum refers to a guardian or protector. In the wizarding world, your patronus (usually in the form of an animal) can protect you from dementors.
Claim to fame: In "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Harry decides to learn the patronus charm to protect himself against the dementors stationed at Hogwarts. When using Hermione's time turner, he sees a figure he believes to be his father casting a powerful patronus; Harry later realizes the spell caster was himself in the future.

7. Expelliarmus

What it is: disarming charm
What it means: Expelliarmus comes from the Latin words expellere (to expel) and arma (weapon). In the wizarding world, the weapon of choice is a wand, so expelliarmus removes your opponent's wand from their hand.
Claim to fame: Expelliarmus is notorious in the "Harry Potter" world for being Harry's go-to spell. Harry first learns expelliarmus in Gilderoy Lockhart's ill-fated dueling club from "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." He eventually uses expelliarmus to kill Lord Voldemort, when it causes You-Know-Who's killing curse to backfire.

8. Wingardium Leviosa

What it is: levitation charm
What it means: This made-up word is a mashup of the English word wing (which implies flying) and the Latin word arduus, which means high or steep (it's also the source of the English word arduous). Leviosa likely comes from the Latin word levis, which means lightweight (and is also the origin of the words levity and levitate).
Claim to fame: One of the most famous scenes from the "Harry Potter" films involves Hermione correcting Ron's pronunciation of "leviosa" in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."