fixation

[fik-sey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of fixing or the state of being fixed.

2. Chemistry.

   1. reduction from a volatile or fluid to a stable or solid form.

   2. the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen into a useful compound, as a nitrate fertilizer.

3. Photography.,  the process of rendering an image permanent by removal of light-sensitive silver halides.

4. Psychoanalysis.,  a partial arrest of emotional and instinctual development at an early point in life, due to a severe traumatic experience or an overwhelming gratification.

5. a preoccupation with one subject, issue, etc.; obsession.

   All her life she had a fixation on stories of violent death.

fixation

/ fɪkˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of fixing or the state of being fixed

2. a preoccupation or obsession

3. psychol

   1. the act of fixating

   2. (in psychoanalytical schools) a strong attachment of a person to another person or an object in early life

4. chem

   1. the conversion of nitrogen in the air into a compound, esp a fertilizer

   2. the conversion of a free element into one of its compounds

5. the reduction of a substance from a volatile or fluid form to a nonvolatile or solid form

Other Word Forms

• nonfixation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fixation¹

1350–1400; Middle English fixacion < Medieval Latin fixātiōn- (stem of fixātiō ) a reduction to a fixed state. See fix, -ation

Example Sentences

His dreams primarily revolved around the trial — arguments between Alex and his legal team, evidence that was contested and Alex’s fixation on justification for his actions.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The team linked algae growth, enhanced nitrogen fixation, and the upwelling of cool, nutrient-rich waters by studying coral cores collected across the Caribbean.

Read more on Science Daily

The men in particular had showed a fixation on hunting animals that, in Penelope’s worst imaginings, nearly threatened to encompass the “wild wolf children” Lord Fredrick had bragged about finding on his property.

Read more on Literature

As I wrote recently, Elon Musk’s fixation with Britain’s current social and political crisis seems to be rooted in misbegotten anglophile nostalgia and a grotesque misreading of “The Lord of the Rings.”

Read more on Salon

What once looked like outrage now presents as a fixation that distorts perception and consumes attention.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fascination 
• infatuation 
• preoccupation