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Origin and history of braidism

braidism(n.)

"hypnotism," 1849, from the name of hypnosis pioneer Dr. James Braid (see hypnosis).

also from 1849

Entries linking to braidism

hypnosis(n.)

1850, "the coming on of sleep," coined (as an alternative to hypnotism) from hypno- "sleep" + -osis "condition." But the distinction was not sustained, and by 1876 hypnosis was being used of artificially induced conditions.

mesmerism(n.)

"the doctrine that one person can exercise influence over the will and nervous system of another and produce certain phenomena by virtue of a supposed emanation called animal magnetism," 1798, from French mesmérisme, named for Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another and propounded it in 1778 in Paris. The word, if still used is practically synonymous with hypnotism or artificial somnambulism. Another similar word for the same effect was braidism. An old term for "hypnotic suggestion" was mesmeric promise. Related: Mesmerist

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    skinflint
    "miser, one who makes use of contemptible economy to keep money," c. 1700 ("Dictionary of the Canting Crew"), slang ; literally "kind of person who would skin a flint to save or gain something," from skin (v.) + flint. Flay-flint in same sense is from 1670s. Among the 18c. slang
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    "descriptive name for a person or thing," 1570s, from French épithète or directly from Latin epitheton (source also of Spanish epíteto, Portuguese epitheto, Italian epiteto), from Greek epitheton "an epithet; something added," noun use of adjective (neuter of epithetos) "attribut
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