fetish

/ˈfɛtɪʃ/
noun
  1. An object or activity that is the focus of an excessive, irrational, or obsessive interest or devotion.
    • She had a fetish for collecting vintage fountain pens, spending hours searching for rare models.
    • The company's fetish with data collection worried privacy advocates.
    • His fetish for cleanliness meant he vacuumed the house three times a day.
  2. An object believed to have magical or spiritual powers, especially among some traditional societies.
    • In the museum, we saw a collection of African fetishes used in religious ceremonies.
    • The anthropologist studied how the tribe used fetishes in their healing rituals.
    • The shaman carried a small fetish made of feathers and stones to ward off evil spirits.
What does "fetish" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean