fetishist

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti

Proto-Italic *θakjō

Proto-Italic *fakjō

Latin faciō

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Italic *-tos

Latin -tus

Latin factus

Proto-Indo-European *-kos

Proto-Indo-European *-ikos

Proto-Italic *-ikos

Latin -īcus

Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-ijos

Proto-Italic *-ios

Old Latin -ios

Latin -ius

Latin -īcius

Latin factīcius

Portuguese feitiçobor.

French fétichebor.

English fetish

Proto-Indo-European *-id-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti

Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō

Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)

Proto-Hellenic *-tās

Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs)

Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor.

Latin -istader.

Old French -istebor.

Middle English -ist

English -ist

English fetishist

From fetish + -ist.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛtɪʃɪst/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

fetishist (plural fetishists)

1. One who has a sexual fetish.

   Synonyms: fetisher, kinkster, paraphiliac

   Antonym: normophile

   • 2005, Annabelle du Fouet, “The murky world from whence it all came” (chapter 2), in Weather Balloons Make Rotten Sex Toys, Ellora's Cave, →ISBN, page 38:

     Like other fetishists, they [foot fetishists] derive a great deal of sexual pleasure from a particular object, in this case, feet.

   • 2025 April 27, Lisa Miller, Maggie Shannon, “When a Child’s Life Becomes the Family Business”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     A social media convention among young and famous people is not to show bare feet to avoid attention from foot fetishists.

   • 2026 May 28, Amelia Gentleman, “The strange surveilled life of Piper Rockelle: why did a former child influencer decide to go on OnlyFans?”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     […] in 2024, Lily Allen said she made more money selling pictures of her feet to fetishists than she earned from Spotify streams.

2. (archaic) A believer in magical fetishes or talismans.

   Synonym: fetisheer

   • 1845, Brownson's Review, page 472:

     As well might we charge the people of Massachusetts with being Fetichists, as the Professor charge us with worshipping images.

   • 1882, Sir John Lubbock, The Origin of Civilization and the Primitve Condition of Man: Mental and Social Condition of Savages, page 4:

     These races were Fetichists before they became Buddhist, Mahometan, or Christian.

   • 1866, John Stuart Mill, The Positive Philosophy of Auguste Comte, page 170:

     The Fetishist thinks not merely that his Fetish is alive, but that it can help him in war, can cure him of diseases, can grant him prosperity, or afflict him with all the contrary evils.

Derived terms

• circumfetishist
• fetishistic
• fetus fetishist
• technofetishist

Translations

one who has a sexual fetish

• Catalan: fetitxista m or f
• French: fétichiste (fr) m or f
• German: Fetischist (de) m, Fetischistin (de) f
• Greek: φετιχιστής (el) m (fetichistís), φετιχίστρια (el) f (fetichístria)
• Icelandic: blætisdýrkandi m
• Italian: feticista (it) m or f
• Portuguese: fetichista m or f
• Spanish: fetichista (es) m or f
• Swedish: fetischist (sv) c
• Turkish: fetişist (tr) c

Anagrams

• fittishes, shiftiest