evil eye

a folk belief in the supernatural powers of a malevolent stare or hostile gaze, which is believed to cause adversity, illness, injury, or destruction to the recipient. The term is applied more specifically to a culture-bound syndrome in Mediterranean countries and other regions (see mal de ojo). See also witchcraft.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

nonadditive

adj. describing values or measurements that cannot be meaningfully summarized through addition because the resulting total does not correctly reflect the underlying properties of and associations between the component values. For example, if two variables a and b interact to influence another variable y, the addition of the separate effects of a and b will not equal the total effect since the contribution of the interaction needs to be included. Compare additive.