seanse

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From French séance (“session”), from both séant (“sitting position”), from seoir (“to be situated”), from Middle French seoir (“to be”), from Old French seoir (“to sit”), from earlier sedeir, from Latin sedēre, present active infinitive of sedeō (“I sit”), from Proto-Italic *sedēō (“sit”), from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”) + and from -ance, from Middle French -ance, from Old French -ance, from Latin -antia(m), -entia(m), from Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā), -ία (-ía) and -εια (-eia), from Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛˈaŋsə/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aŋsə
• Hyphenation: se‧an‧se

Noun

seanse m (definite singular seansen, indefinite plural seanser, definite plural seansene)

1. a séance (a ceremony where people try to communicate with the spirits of dead people, usually led by a medium)
   • 1943, Stein Ståle, Åndemasken, page 69:

     dr. Szernyi og hans medium var kommet. Seansen kunde begynne

     Dr. Szernyi and his medium had arrived. The session could commence

   • 1996, Tove Nilsen, Skyskrapersommer:

     hvis spiritister stiller ånden for nærgående spørsmål kan glasset avsløre dødsdatoen til alle som er med i seansen

     if spiritists ask the spirit for up-to-date questions, the glass can reveal the date of death to all who are in the session

   • 2017, Tom Egeland, Lasaruseffekten, page 377:

     seanser er humbug

     séances are a hoax

2. (humorous) a session, occurrence (an actual instance when a situation occurs; an event or happening)

   Synonyms: seremoni, opptrinn

   Det var en pinlig seanse.

   It was an awkward occurrence.

   • 1988, Liv Køltzow, Hvem har ditt ansikt?, page 104:

     Aksel la lokket på pianoet og oppga seansen

     Aksel put the lid on the piano and gave up the session

   • 2003, Tore Renberg, Mannen som elsket Yngve:

     vi klinte så lenge at mora la merke til oss fra stuevinduet, og kom ut og avbrøt seansen

     we made out so long that mom noticed us from the living room window, and came out and interrupted the session

3. (colloquial) a séance, ceremony; session (a limited gathering or session with specific content)

   Synonym: sammenkomst

   • 2001, Helene Uri, Dyp rød, page 315:

     midt i seansen kom det frem [at] hun mente … at jeg var brunhåret

     in the middle of the session it emerged [that] she meant… that I was brown-haired

   • 2018, Eline Lund Fjæren, Forbruk i september, page 80:

     på slutten av en seanse spurte [psykiateren] om hun gikk med selvmordstanker

     at the end of a session [the psychiatrist] asked if she had suicidal thoughts

References

• “seanse” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “seanse” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “seanse” in Store norske leksikon

Anagrams

• ansees, Assene, assene