Hypnotize
/ˈhɪp.nə.taɪz/noun
To induce a trance-like state or focused suggestibility in a person.
Did you know?Hypnotize comes from the name of Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, and the modern term was coined in the 19th century as a scientific-sounding word for a trance state.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
hýpnos (ὕπνος)
“sleep”
Late 18th Century
English
hypnotism
“a system of inducing trance-like states, coined from Greek roots”
Early 19th Century
English
hypnotize
“to put into a hypnotic state”
Modern English
English
hypnotize
“to induce a trance-like state or focused suggestibility in a person”
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