fetishism

Or fet·ich·ism

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

noun

1. belief in or use of fetishes.

2. 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.

3. blind devotion.

   a fetishism of sacrifice to one's children.

fetishism

/ ˈfɛtɪˌʃɪzəm, ˈfiː- /

noun

1. 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

2. belief in or recourse to a fetish for magical purposes

3. excessive attention or attachment to something

Other Word Forms

• fetishist noun
• fetishistic adjective
• fetishistically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fetishism¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; fetish + -ism

Example Sentences

The convention does host events such as "writing furry erotica" but Mr Smith insists that furries are "badly represented" in the media and that fetishism is "not part of the furry identity".

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For all its brutality, the series retains the original’s romance without sliding into its predecessor’s cultural fetishism.

Read more on Salon

I have called this approach “methodological fetishism,” when scientists fixate on a preferred methodology and dismiss studies that don't follow it.

Read more on Scientific American

But as Jeremy O. Harris’ stage hit “Slave Play” has reminded us in recent years, heated arguments about fetishism, assimilation and otherness aren’t at all abstract when it comes to dating interracially.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The single was actually released in May but after a couple months, Mr. Aldean released a video that quickly became a national lightning rod over charges of racism and gun fetishism.

Read more on Washington Times