Pelmanism

British  

/ ˈpɛlməˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. a system of training to improve the memory

2. Also called: pairs.   concentration.  (often not capital) a memory card game in which a pack of cards is spread out face down and players try to turn up pairs with the same number

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Etymology

Origin of Pelmanism

named after the Pelman Institute, founded in London in 1898

Example Sentences

An advert for Pelmanism, a brain-training technique that became popular in the early twentieth century.

From Nature • Mar. 1, 2016

And, as with Pelmanism, a lucrative industry has grown up around the idea that cognitive performance can be enhanced by training.

From Nature • Mar. 1, 2016

“New Minds for Old in 12 Weeks!” proclaimed adverts for Pelmanism, a brain-training technique that swept the United Kingdom in the early part of the twentieth century.

From Nature • Mar. 1, 2016

Pelmanism was still being promoted as late as the 1960s, but has since sunk into obscurity, becoming merely a curious chapter in the history of psychology.

From Nature • Mar. 1, 2016

There is an English system widely advertised, called "Pelmanism," of which I have personally made no test, but it has won endorsements of a great many people who do not give their endorsements lightly.

From The Book of Life by Sinclair, Upton