# fetish

Pronunciation: say "FET-ish" /ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/

## Noun

1. Sexual arousal by, or fixation on, something not normally erotic, such as an object or a nonsexual body part, or something abnormally sexual.
   - Simple: A strong sexual interest in an object or body part that is not usually sexual.
   - _The novel's villain has a fetish for silk gloves that he hides from everyone._
   - _She was surprised to learn how common foot fetishes are._
2. An irrational or abnormally strong fixation on some object or activity, amounting to an obsession.
   - Simple: A strong interest in one thing or activity that is more than is normal or sensible.
   - _The company has made a fetish of efficiency, timing even its workers' coffee breaks._
   - _Her fitness fetish has her at the gym twice a day, even on vacation._
3. An object, such as an amulet, carved figure, or idol, believed to have magical or spiritual power or to embody a spirit.
   - Simple: An object or figure that people believe has magic powers or holds a spirit.
   - _The healer hung a small fetish of bone and feathers above the sick child's bed._
   - _The hunter wore a small leather pouch around his neck as a fetish against evil spirits._

## Origin

Latin factīcius ("artificial") became Portuguese feitiço, which French took as fétiche, and English borrowed the French word. Factitious is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fetish (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).