fetish
fe·tish
noun \ˈfe-tish also ˈfē-\Definition of FETISH
1
a : an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner; broadly : a material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence b : an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion : prepossession c : an object or bodily part whose real or fantasied presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification and that is an object of fixation to the extent that it may interfere with complete sexual expression
2
: a rite or cult of fetish worshipers
3
: fixation
See Variants of FETISH
fe·tish also fe·tich \ˈfe-tish also ˈfē-\
Examples of FETISH
- He has a fetish for secrecy.
- He wore a fetish to ward off evil spirits.
Origin of FETISH
French & Portuguese; French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço, from feitiço artificial, false, from Latin facticius factitious
First Known Use: 1613
Related to FETISH
Related Words: monomania; complex, hang-up, problem, trip; appetite, cacoëthes, compulsion, craving, desire, drive, enthusiasm, fascination, hankering, hunger, infatuation, itch, longing, lust, passion, pining, thirst, urge, yearning, yen; idiosyncrasy, quirk; bent, disposition, inclination, leaning, partiality, penchant, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency
Near Antonyms: apathy, disinterestedness, disregard, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern, unconcernedness
Other Psychology Terms
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