What does fetichism mean?
Fetichism refers to the veneration of material objects believed to hold supernatural power, and it also names a psychological condition in which gratification depends on such objects rather than persons. The word entered English as an older spelling of fetishism, borrowed via Portuguese feitiço — ultimately from Latin facticius, 'made by artifice' — as European traders described the amulets and talismans they encountered on West African coasts. In nineteenth-century anthropology and comparative religion, fetichism was used broadly, often dismissively, to characterize practices now described with more precise and respectful terms. Today the '-ich' spelling reads as archaic, appearing mostly in historical scholarship and translations, while 'fetishism' has become standard both in psychiatry and in everyday language, where 'fetish' has broadened to mean any object of excessive devotion. Knowing this form helps readers of older texts navigate a word whose meaning has shifted across religion, anthropology, and psychology over several centuries.
Belief in or worship of material objects regarded as possessing supernatural powers.
"The missionary's account reduced every local rite to simple fetichism."
Now dated; modern anthropology prefers terms like animism or object veneration.
(Psychology) A pattern of sexual arousal dependent upon an inanimate object or a nongenital body part.
"Freud's 1927 essay examined fetichism as a case study in the persistence of infantile belief."
Standard modern spelling for this sense is fetishism.
Rarely used; when needed in clinical or academic writing, pluralizes regularly.
"The survey catalogued a wide range of fetichisms across cultures."
'Fetich' came to English through Portuguese traders on West African coasts — from Latin facticius, meaning 'made by art' — so a god you could hold in your hand was literally called an 'artificial thing.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fetichism
Fetichism derives from fetich, an older English spelling of fetish, adopted in the seventeenth century from Portuguese feitiço ('charm, sorcery'), itself from Latin facticius, 'artificial, made by craft.' The suffix -ism formed the abstract noun for the system of beliefs centered on such objects. The spelling with -ch reflects the Portuguese source more faithfully than the later anglicized fetish, which became dominant by the nineteenth century.
Related word forms
How fetichism is actually used
This spelling is largely obsolete today; modern English overwhelmingly uses 'fetishism,' while 'fetich' survives mainly in historical texts and in French-influenced scholarly writing. In psychology the term carries clinical neutrality, but in general use it can carry connotations of irrational devotion.
Easily confused with fetichism
Fetishism is the standard modern spelling of the same word; 'fetichism' is an older or French-influenced spelling now considered archaic.