fetish

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

Also spelled fetich

US /ˈfɛtɪʃ/ UK /ˈfetɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
an object of irrational devotion, or an item believed to hold magic power

The tribe regarded the carved figure as a sacred fetish.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an object of irrational... talisman amulet charm idol obsession fixation mania

Word family

Forms fetishism

Derived forms fetishismfetishistfetishize

Related forms factitious

Simplified etymology

Fetish is recorded from the early 17th century. It originally denoted an object worshipped in West Africa for supposed magical powers or used as an amulet or charm; early European visitors used Portuguese feitiço “charm, sorcery” for such an object. The senses “obsession” and “unusual form of sexual desire” are later.

Etymology

From French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ('charm, sorcery, made thing'), from Latin facticius ('made by art, artificial'), from facere ('to make, do').

feitiço Portuguese facticius Latin facere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# fetish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfɛtɪʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfetɪʃ/

## Meanings
1. an object of irrational devotion, or an item believed to hold magic power

## Examples
- The tribe regarded the carved figure as a sacred fetish.

## Synonyms
- talisman
- amulet
- charm
- idol
- obsession
- fixation
- mania

## Derived Forms
- fetishism
- fetishist
- fetishize

## Related Forms
- factitious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: feitiço
- Root: facticius
- Root: facere

## Etymology
From French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ('charm, sorcery, made thing'), from Latin facticius ('made by art, artificial'), from facere ('to make, do').

## AI Etymology
Fetish comes from French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço ('charm, sorcery, made thing'), from Latin facticius ('made by art, artificial'), from facere ('to make, do'). The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "an object of irrational devotion, or an item believed to hold magic power", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as fetishism, fetishist, and fetishize and related forms such as factitious, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Portuguese feitiço, Latin facticius, and Latin facere, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes talisman, amulet, charm, and idol, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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