noun
mesmerism
An influence that puts someone into a trancelike state.
The performer's mesmerism leaves the volunteer staring silently ahead.
Etymology
Mesmerism takes its name from Mesmer's practices involving supposed animal magnetism. Their association with trance helped the word broaden to a captivating or trance-inducing influence.
More examples
- She seems caught in the mesmerism of his steady voice.
- Under the speaker's mesmerism, the crowd falls strangely still.
- The slow, repetitive music exerts a kind of mesmerism.
Forms
mesmerize verb — To put someone into a trancelike state.
Similar words
- hypnotism
- Usually refers to the technique used to induce a trance.
- spell
- Often suggests a magical influence rather than an induced trance.