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A quick History of Fetish

When fetish first appeared in English within the early seventeenth century, xxxfetish.tube it referred to objects (usually amulets) believed by sure West Africans to have supernatural powers. Through the 19th century, the word took on a broader that means: "an object of irrational devotion or reverence." The article need not be physical: a person might have a fetish for an concept, such as an unwarranted perception that a specific economic system will remedy society’s ills. By the early twentieth century, fetish took on yet one more meaning fairly distinct from its antecedents: a sexualized desire for an object (corresponding to a shoe) or for a body half that's indirectly related to the reproductive act (such as an earlobe).

Synonyms

fixation
idée fixe
mania
obsession
preoccupation
prepossession
Examples of fetish in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from varied online sources as an instance present utilization of the phrase 'fetish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples don't signify those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

French & Portuguese; French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço, from feitiço artificial, false, from Latin facticius factitious

1613, in the meaning outlined at sense 1a

Dictionary Entries Near fetish

fetiparous

fetish

fetishism

Cite this Entry

"Fetish." Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetish. Accessed 27 Dec.