mesmerism

English

WOTD – 5 March 2016

An 1849 portrait of Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815) by Jules Porreau

Etymology

From French mesmérisme, analysable as Mesmer +‎ -ism; so called after Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), a German physician who developed the animal magnetism theory.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛzməˌɹɪzəm/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mes‧mer‧ism

Noun

mesmerism (countable and uncountable, plural mesmerisms)

1. The method or power of gaining control over someone's personality or actions, as in hypnosis or suggestion.
   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 23, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:

     What is the secret mesmerism which friendship possesses, and under the operation of which a person ordinarily sluggish, or cold, or timid, becomes wise, active, and resolute, in another's behalf?

2. The state induced by hypnotic methods (especially that of Mesmer himself).
   • 2010, Mark Twain, Autobiography of Mark Twain, volume 2, page 302:

     ...the fact stood proven that I had seen it in my vision. Lawks! ...When the magician's engagement closed there was but one person in the village who did not believe in mesmerism, and I was the one. All the others were converted, but I was to remain an implacable and unpersuadable disbeliever in mesmerism and hypnotism for close upon fifty years.

Derived terms

• mesmeric
• mesmerist
• mesmerize
• mesmerized
• mesmerizing

Translations

mesmerism

• Finnish: mesmerismi
• Galician: mesmerismo m
• German: Mesmerismus (de) m (historical)
• Hindi: मेस्मरिज्म (hi) m (mesmarijma)
• Korean: 메스머주의 (meseumeojuui)
• Portuguese: mesmerismo (pt) m
• Spanish: mesmerismo (es) m
• Swedish: mesmerism

See also

• hypnosis
• somnolism

Further reading

• “mesmerism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “mesmerism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French mesmérisme.

Noun

mesmerism n (uncountable)

1. mesmerism

Declension

declension of mesmerism (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) mesmerism	mesmerismul
genitive/dative	(unui) mesmerism	mesmerismului
vocative	mesmerismule