fetishism

or fet·ich·ism

[ fet-i-shiz-uhm, fee-ti- ]

/ ˈfɛt ɪˌʃɪz əm, ˈfi tɪ- /

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noun

belief in or use of fetishes.

Psychiatry. the compulsive use of some object, or part of the body, as a stimulus in the course of attaining sexual gratification, as a shoe, a lock of hair, or underclothes.

blind devotion: a fetishism of sacrifice to one's children.

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Origin of fetishism

First recorded in 1795–1805; fetish + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM fetishism

fet·ish·ist, nounfet·ish·is·tic, adjectivefet·ish·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fetishism in a sentence

Under a Philippine hierarchy there would be a danger of the natives reverting to paganism and fetichism.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
This foot fetichism has persisted, directed sometimes towards the feet of women, sometimes towards the feet of men.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
In other cases of fetichism which I have had under observation, the abnormal fetichistic tendency went much further back.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
The observance of those days points back to the period when Fetichism, the worship of Nature, was the prominent form of religion.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)|Theodore Parker

Fetichism proper gradually becomes limited to objects possessing a marked individuality.
August Comte and Positivism|John-Stuart Mill

British Dictionary definitions for fetishism

fetishism

fetichism

/ (ˈfɛtɪˌʃɪzəm, ˈfiː-) /

noun

a condition in which the handling of an inanimate object or a specific part of the body other than the sexual organs is a source of sexual satisfaction

belief in or recourse to a fetish for magical purposes

excessive attention or attachment to something

Derived forms of fetishism

fetishist or fetichist, nounfetishistic or fetichistic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012