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parapsychology

[ par-uh-sahy-kol-uh-jee ]
/ ˌpær ə saɪˈkɒl ə dʒi /
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See synonyms for: parapsychology / parapsychological on Thesaurus.com

noun
the branch of psychology that deals with the investigation of purportedly psychic phenomena, as clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, telepathy, and the like.
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Origin of parapsychology

First recorded in 1925–30; para-1 + psychology

OTHER WORDS FROM parapsychology

par·a·psy·cho·log·i·cal, adjectivepar·a·psy·chol·o·gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parapsychology in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for parapsychology

parapsychology
/ (ˌpærəsaɪˈkɒlədʒɪ) /

noun
the study of mental phenomena, such as telepathy, which are beyond the scope of normal physical explanation

Derived forms of parapsychology

parapsychological (ˌpærəsaɪkəˈlɒʒɪkəl), adjectiveparapsychologist, noun
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

Cultural definitions for parapsychology

parapsychology
[ (par-uh-seye-kol-uh-jee) ]

The study of extrasensory perception (ESP), communications with the dead, telekinesis (using mental energy to cause distant objects to move), and other mental phenomena that have not been explained or accepted by scientists. (See psychic research.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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