Definition of "fetish" []

• An object that is believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially such an object associated with animistic or shamanistic religious practices. (noun)
• An object of unreasonably excessive attention or reverence: made a fetish of punctuality. (noun)
• Something, such as a material object or a nonsexual part of the body, that arouses sexual desire and may become necessary for sexual gratification. (noun)
• An abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "‡ Figuratively, a “fetish” is any object that arouses excessive devotion: “Lucille made a fetish of her Porsche."
• "The word "fetish" comes from a Latin word, feticium, which means "idol"."
• "I use the term fetish object in both an erotic sense, as well as to represent the small, carved figures used by the Zuni Indians to invoke attributes such as courage, honor, and wisdom."