Definition of "hypnosis" []

• An artificially induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction. (noun)
• Hypnotism. (noun)
• A sleeplike condition. (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.

• "Professor Whorwell concludes, The term hypnosis was coined by a Manchester surgeon, James Braid, early in the nineteenth century, and it's been in and out of fashion ever since."
• "… 30 … The Scottish surgeon James Braid, intrigued by one such performance, began to study the practice, ultimately publishing his findings under the title "hypnosis," derived from the Greek word "to sleep.""
• "His training in hypnosis, psychology, and fitness enables him to best help in both mind and body towards complete fitness."