Etymology

mesmerism

mes·mer·ism
M3E1S1M3E1R1I1S1M3

Today it means: The method or power of gaining control over someone's personality or actions. Full definition →

French mesmérisme
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The story

  1. French · derived frommesmérisme
  2. English todaymesmerism

From French mesmérisme, analysable as Mesmer + -ism; so called after Franz Anton Mesmer (1734–1815), a German physician who developed the animal magnetism theory.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.