semantic satiation

the effect in which a word seems to lose its meaning after it has been repeated many times in rapid succession. The reasons for this effect remain poorly understood.

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Psychology term of the day

December 23rd 2024

foot fetishism

a form of fetishism in which sexual excitement is achieved through contact with or masturbation near a shoe or foot. Shoes or feet are among the most common varieties of fetish, but there is little understanding of why this occurs. The condition is also called retifism, named for French writer Nicolas-Edme Rétif (1734–1806), also known as Rétif de la Bretonne, who is said to have had a sexual interest in women’s footwear.