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mesmerized

 - 4 dictionary results

mes⋅mer⋅ize

  [mez-muh-rahyz, mes-]
Use mesmerized in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -ized, -iz⋅ing.
1. to hypnotize.
2. to spellbind; fascinate.
3. to compel by fascination.
Also, especially British, mes⋅mer⋅ise.

Origin:
1820–30; mesmer(ism) + -ize

Related forms:
mes⋅mer⋅i⋅za⋅tion, noun
mes⋅mer⋅iz⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To mesmerized
mes·mer·ize   (měz'mə-rīz', měs'-)   
tr.v.   mes·mer·ized, mes·mer·iz·ing, mes·mer·iz·es

  1. To spellbind; enthrall: "He could mesmerize an audience by the sheer force of his presence" (Justin Kaplan).

  2. To hypnotize.

mes'mer·i·za'tion (-mər-ĭ-zā'shən) n., mes'mer·iz'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mesmerize 
1829 from mesmerism, borrowed 1802 from Fr. mesmérisme, named for Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another. Transf. sense of "enthrall" is first attested 1862. Mesmerism is attested from 1802.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: mes·mer·ize
Variant: or British mes·mer·ise /-m&-"rIz/
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms:-ized or British -ised; -iz·ing or British -is·ing
: to subject to mesmerism; also : HYPNOTIZE —mes·mer·iza·tion or British mes·mer·isa·tion /"mez-m&-ri-'zA-sh&n/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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