cathexis: M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for February 2 is:

cathexis \kuh-THEK-sis\ noun
: investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea

Example sentence:
The cathexis of a mother for her daughter can be the source of a girl's confidence and stability later in life.

Did you know?
You might suspect that "cathexis" derives etymologically from a word for "emotion," but in actuality the key concept is "holding." "Cathexis" comes to us by way of New Latin (Latin as used after the medieval period in scientific description or classification) from the Greek word "kathexis," meaning "holding." It can ultimately be traced back (through "katechein," meaning "to hold fast, occupy") to the Greek verb "echein," meaning "to have" or "to hold." "Cathexis" first appeared in print in 1922 in a book about Freud's psychological theories (which also established the plural as "cathexes," as is consistent with Latin), and it is still often used in scientific and specifically psychological contexts.

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