What does fetich mean?
Fetich is an older spelling of fetish, a noun with two principal senses. In its original anthropological sense, a fetich is a material object — a carved figure, charm, or amulet — believed to embody supernatural power or to be worthy of reverence. In psychology, the word denotes an object, body part, or situation that becomes a focus of intense sexual desire. The word entered European languages through Portuguese traders in West Africa, who applied it to objects of local religious devotion; the term reflects a colonial-era outsider's perspective rather than any indigenous category, which gives it dated connotations in scholarly contexts today. Figuratively, one may "make a fetich" of something, treating it with excessive, almost religious devotion. The standard modern spelling is fetish, so readers encounter "fetich" chiefly in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literature on religion and anthropology.
noun"Fetich" is an older or variant spelling of "fetish," denoting an object regarded as having magical power or, in psychology, a source of intense sexual arousal or fixation.
- An object believed to have supernatural power, or worshipped as such; more broadly, any object or activity invested with excessive regard.
- (Psychology) A thing, body part, or situation toward which a person has an intense sexual fixation.
"The explorer described the charms and fetiches carried by the villagers for protection."
"The traders collected carved figures they took to be fetiches guarding the village."
"He made a fetich of punctuality, refusing to begin if anyone arrived a minute late."
The standard plural adds -es, following the pronunciation ending in a "ch" sound.
"The ethnographer catalogued dozens of fetiches collected from coastal villages."
Before it meant anything sexual, a 'fetich' was an object African religions were (wrongly) said to worship — a word born from Portuguese sailors' misunderstanding, spelled with a '-ch' that survives only as a relic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fetich
Fetich derives from Portuguese "feitiço," meaning "charm" or "artificial thing," from Latin "facticius," meaning "made by art," itself formed on "facere" (to make or do). Portuguese sailors and traders used the term in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries to describe objects of religious veneration they encountered on the West African coast. English adopted the word in the early seventeenth century, retaining the Portuguese-influenced spelling before it gradually gave way to the now-standard "fetish." The same Latin root yields cognates such as "factitious" and "factotum."
Related word forms
How fetich is actually used
The spelling "fetich" is now largely obsolete; modern writing uses "fetish." When encountered, it typically appears in older texts on anthropology or religion. The anthropological use itself carries colonial-era connotations, stemming from European misreadings of West African religious practice.
Easily confused with fetich
"Fetich" is simply an older or variant spelling of "fetish," which is the standard modern form; the meanings are identical.