mesmerism
EnglishEdit
An 1849 portrait of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) by Jules Porreau
EtymologyEdit
From French mesmérisme, analysable as Mesmer + -ism; so called after Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), a German physician who developed the animal magnetism theory.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
mesmerism (countable and uncountable, plural mesmerisms)
- The method or power of gaining control over someone's personality or actions, as in hypnosis or suggestion.
- 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 23:
- What is the secret mesmerism which friendship possesses, and under the operation of which a person ordinarily sluggish, or cold, or timid, becomes wise, active, and resolute, in another's behalf?
- 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 23:
- The state induced by hypnotic methods (especially that of Mesmer himself).
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
mesmerism
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See alsoEdit
Further readingEdit
- mesmerism in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- mesmerism in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911