fetish

noun fe·tish \ ˈfe-tish also ˈfē- \

variants: or less commonly fetich

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of fetish

1 a : an object (such 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 : fixation

3 : a rite or cult of fetish worshippers

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See fetish defined for kids

Examples of fetish in a Sentence

He has a fetish for secrecy.
He wore a fetish to ward off evil spirits.

Recent Examples of fetish from the Web

Furries proclivity for dressing up is sometimes misunderstood as a fetish.

— dianna m. náñez, azcentral, "Arizona GOP lawmaker asks Twitter what furry is, gets a Fursona from #RedforEd supporter," 6 May 2018
Ms. Hughes’s discussion of what physical phobias and fetishes can tell us about Victorian society is brilliantly particular.

— elizabeth lowry, WSJ, "‘Victorians Undone’ Review: Bodies in Question," 4 May 2018
None of us seems able to stop this labeling fetish, certainly not me.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "The Red Caddy," 24 Apr. 2018
In 2014, Bratty Nikki and her husband, Jay Phillips, co-founded their own fetish website, iWantClips.com.

— jennifer swann, chicagotribune.com, "Meet the 'financial dominatrixes' who meddle in men's lives — and wallets," 12 Apr. 2018
This must explain what comes across as his Muslim fetish, with his constant references to tropes of an obvious kind, including the hijab, nonalcoholic drinks, praying, and references to Allah.

— siddhartha deb, The New Republic, "What Dave Eggers misses in his story of a Yemeni-American man’s rise," 4 Apr. 2018
But tiny houses are quickly evolving beyond their reputation as a quirky lifestyle fetish.

— diana budds, Curbed, "Detroit’s new starter home," 29 Mar. 2018
Dress to the nines and find your fetish this weekend.

— yoshina okamoto, Anchorage Daily News, "Coming up: Dervish, Step Afrika! and Songs for a Mad King," 23 Mar. 2018
But this was a subtle shoutout to his base supporters who have a fetish for Confederate statues.

— michael harriot, The Root, "The Top 10 Racist Dog Whistles Hidden in Trump’s State of the Union Address," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fetish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

A Brief History of fetish

When fetish first appeared in English in the early 17th century, it referred to objects (often amulets) believed by certain West Africans to have supernatural powers. During the 19th century, the word took on a broader meaning: "an object of irrational devotion or reverence." The object need not be physical: a person may have a fetish for an idea, such as an unwarranted belief that a particular economic system will solve society’s ills. By the early 20th century, fetish took on yet another meaning quite distinct from its antecedents: a sexualized desire for an object (such as a shoe) or for a body part that is not directly related to the reproductive act (such as an earlobe).

Origin and Etymology of fetish

French & Portuguese; French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço, from feitiço artificial, false, from Latin facticius factitious

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1613

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

fetish Synonyms

Other Psychology Terms

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

FETISH Defined for English Language Learners

fetish

noun

Definition of fetish for English Language Learners

: a strong and unusual need or desire for something
: a need or desire for an object, body part, or activity for sexual excitement
: an object that is believed to have magical powers

Medical Dictionary

fetish

noun fe·tish

variants: also fetich \ˈfet-ish also ˈfēt-\

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