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  fetid fetishism  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
fetish
 
SYLLABICATION:fet·ish
PRONUNCIATION:  ftsh, ftsh
VARIANT FORMS: also fet·ich
NOUN:1. An object that is believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially such an object associated with animistic or shamanistic religious practices. 2. An object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence: made a fetish of punctuality. 3. Something, such as a material object or a nonsexual part of the body, that arouses sexual desire and may become necessary for sexual gratification. 4. An abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation.
ETYMOLOGY:French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço, artificial, charm, from Latin factcius, artificial. See factitious.
 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  fetid fetishism  
 
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