Crossword Genius

Melted away and perished, wrapping up a bit of witchcraft (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

dispelled

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'melted away' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are past participle verbs, I cannot understand how one could define the other.

'perished wrapping up a bit of witchcraft' is the wordplay.
'perished' becomes 'died' ('die' can be a synonym of 'perish').
'wrapping up' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'a bit of witchcraft' becomes 'spell' (I've seen this in another clue).
'died' enclosing 'spell' is 'DISPELLED'.

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for dispelled that I've seen is " Piled sled (anag.)".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.