obsession

English

Etymology

From Latin obsessio (“a besieging”), from obsidere (“to besiege”); see obsess.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /əbˈsɛʃən/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʃən

Noun

obsession (countable and uncountable, plural obsessions)

1. The quality of being obsessed.

   Synonym: obsessedness

2. An idea that engenders a compulsive or irrational preoccupation, or the preoccupation thereby engendered.

   Synonym: idée fixe

3. An activity or entity that inspires a compulsive and potentially unhealthy fixation, or the fixation thereby inspired.

   Editing Wikipedia started as a hobby, but it's turned into a complete obsession of mine.

4. Influence or control by evil spirits without possession.
   • 1973, Jessie Penn-Lewis, Evan Roberts, War on the Saints, →ISBN:

     if an evil spirit counterfeits the presence of God, and comes upon the man as an influence only, it may be described as obsession; but when a footing is gained in him, it is "possession," because the obsessing spirits have gained access, and possess the ground they hold, up to the extent of the ground given.

   • 1999, Mary E. McDonough, God's Plan of Redemption‎^{[ISBN-0736307184]}, page 85:

     They should see that a perception of their identification with the Victor of Calvary is absolutely necessary if they are to constantly and victoriously resist the obsession of evil spirits.

   • 2007, James E. Padgett, The Teachings of Jesus‎^{[ISBN-1430303913]}, page 100:

     It is true, that by the workings of the law of attraction, and the susceptibility of mortals to the influence of spirit powers, mortals may become obsessed by the spirits of evil—that is evil spirits of men who once lived on earth—and this obsession may become so complete and powerful that the living mortal may lose all power to resist this influence of the evil spirits...

• self-obsession

 

Related terms

• obsess
• obsessed
• obsessional
• obsessive, obsessively

Translations

state of being obsessed

• Georgian: აკვიატება (aḳviaṭeba), ობსესია (obsesia)
• Polish: obsesjonalność f, obsesyjność (pl) f
• Russian: одержи́мость (ru) f (oderžímostʹ)
• Ukrainian: одержи́мість f (oderžýmistʹ)

compulsive or irrational preoccupation — see also idée fixe

• Afrikaans: obsessie
• Bulgarian: натрапчива идея f (natrapčiva ideja)
• Catalan: obsessió (ca) f
• Czech: posedlost (cs) n, obsese f
• Danish: tvangstanke c
• Dutch: obsessie (nl) f, bezetenheid (nl) f
• Finnish: pakkomielle (fi)
• French: idée fixe (fr) f
• Georgian: აკვიატება (aḳviaṭeba)
• German: fixe Idee (de) f
• Greek: ιδεοληψία (el) f (ideolipsía), εμμονή (el) f (emmoní)
• Hebrew: אובססיה (he) f (obsésya)
• Hungarian: rögeszme (hu), fixa idea
• Icelandic: þráhyggja f
• Italian: ossessione (it)
• Latvian: apsēstība (lv) f
• Maori: whakamaimoa, hemonga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: besettelse (no) m

• Persian: وسواس (fa) (vasvâs)
• Plautdietsch: Besätenheit f
• Polish: obsesja (pl) f
• Portuguese: obsessão (pt) f
• Romanian: idee fixă (ro) f, obsesie (ro) f
• Russian: навя́зчивая иде́я f (navjázčivaja idéja), иде́я-фикс (ru) f (idéja-fiks)
• Scottish Gaelic: beò-ghlacadh m
• Serbo-Croatian: opsednutost f
• Spanish: obsesión (es) f
• Swedish: besatthet (sv) c
• Tagalog: himaling

unhealthy fixation

• Afrikaans: obsessie
• Bulgarian: мания (bg) f (manija)
• Catalan: obsessió (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 著迷 / 着迷 (zh), 着迷 (zh) (zháomí), 迷住 (zh) (mízhu)

• Czech: posedlost (cs) n, obsese f
• Danish: besættelse c, fiks ide
• Dutch: obsessie (nl) f, fixatie (nl), dwangvoorstelling (nl)
• Finnish: riippuvuus (fi), pakkomielle (fi)
• French: obsession (fr) f
• Georgian: აკვიატება (aḳviaṭeba)
• German: Besessenheit (de) f, Sucht (de) f
• Greek: ιδεοληψία (el) f (ideolipsía), ψυχαναγκασμός (el) m (psychanagkasmós), μανία (el) f (manía)
• Hungarian: mánia (hu), megszállottság (hu), görcsös ragaszkodás
• Italian: fissa (it) f
• Japanese: 妄想 (ja) (もうそう, mōsō)
• Maori: unuora
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: besettelse (no) m

• Polish: obsesja (pl) f
• Portuguese: obsessão (pt) f
• Russian: заци́кленность (ru) f (zacíklennostʹ), ма́ния (ru) f (mánija), фикса́ция (ru) f (fiksácija)
• Scottish Gaelic: beò-ghlacadh m
• Spanish: obsesión (es) f
• Swedish: besatthet (sv) c
• Turkish: takıntı (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} kinnisidee
• French: ^{(please verify)} obsession (fr) f, ^{(please verify)} fixation (fr), ^{(please verify)} idée fixe (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Besessenheit (de) f, ^{(please verify)} Obsession (de)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} þráhyggja f
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} obsession
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} ossessione (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 妄想 (ja) (もうそう, mōsō) (1)
• Spanish: obsesión (es) f
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} యావ (te) (yāva)

Further reading

• “obsession”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “obsession”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• bosonises

French

Etymology

From Latin obsessiōnem (“a besieging”), from obsidere (“to besiege”); see obsess.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔp.sɛ.sjɔ̃/ ~ /ɔp.se.sjɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

obsession f (plural obsessions)

1. obsession

Related terms

• obsédant
• obsédé
• obséder
• obsessif

Descendants

• → Romanian: obsesie

Further reading

• “obsession”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• ébossions, obéissons