Dehypnotizing

/ˌdiːhɪpˈnɑːtaɪzɪŋ/ verb

Definition

The process of breaking someone out of a hypnotic state or trance, returning them to normal consciousness.

Etymology

From de- (reversal) + hypnotizing (putting into a trance). Hypnotize itself comes from Greek hypnos (sleep) and -ize (to cause). The de- prefix was added to indicate the opposite action.

Kelly Says

While 'hypnotize' became popular in the 1800s with stage magicians, 'dehypnotize' reveals how quickly we needed words for undoing things—showing that our language evolves fastest around reversible actions.

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