fe. tish or fe. tich \' fet- ish, 'fe-t-\ n [F & Pg; F fe` tiche, fr. Pg feitic~, fr. feitic~ artific] ial, false, fr. L
facticius factitious 1a: an object believed among a primitive people to have magical power to protect
or aid its owner; broadly : any material object regarded with superstitious or extravagant trust or
reverence 1b: an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion : PREPOSSESSION 1c: an
object or a body part that arouses libido often to the exclusion of genital impulses 2: a rite or cult of
fetish worshipers ct believed useful in averting evil or bringing good. FETISH is literally applied to such
an object regarded as sacred or magical among a primitive people; it applies by extension to
something often intangible that is cherished unreasonably or obsessively; TALISMAN applies to
something having extraordinary and seemingly magical powers; CHARM applies to an object or form
of words believed effective in repelling evil spirits or in attracting their opposite; it may often imply
something markedly efficacious in any manner; AMULET applies esp. to an inscribed ornament worn
on the person
SYN syn FETISH, TALISMAN, CHARM, AMULET
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