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

Variants of FETISH

fe·tish also fe·tich \ˈfe-tish also ˈfē-\

Examples of FETISH

1. He has a fetish for secrecy.
2. 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

Synonyms

fixation (also fetich), idée fixe, mania, obsession, preoccupation, prepossession

Antonyms

hoodoo, jinx

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

hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

Rhymes with FETISH

Lettish, pettish, wettish

fe·tish

noun    (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of FETISH

: an object or bodily part whose real or fantasized 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

Variants of FETISH

fe·tish also fe·tich \ˈfet-ish also ˈfēt-\ (audio pronunciation) (audio pronunciation)

fetish

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Object believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner, and by extension, an object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or reverence. In the 18th century it was applied to West African amulets; it has also been used for various items in American Indian religion. In psychology, a fetish is an object that substitutes for a person as the focus of sexual desire. See also fetishism.