photism

P3H4O1T1I1S1M3
UK/ˈfəʊtɪzəm/

noun

The color that a synesthete may report seeing in association with a particular letter or number.

Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounphotism (plural photisms)

plural photisms

  1. The color that a synesthete may report seeing in association with a particular letter or number.
  2. human sciencesA luminous appearance, image or subjective perception of a hallucinatory nature.

    I refer to hallucinatory or pseudo-hallucinatory luminous phenomena, photisms, to use the term of the psychologists.

    1902, William James, “Lecture X: Conversion—Concluded”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 251

Origin

From phot- + -ism.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 幻視 /幻视
  • 幻視 /幻视 (waan⁶ si⁶)luminous appearance, image or subjective perception of a hallucinatory nature
Cite this entry
APA

photism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photism

MLA

“photism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photism.

Source: photism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.