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idée fixe
noun
Did you know?
The term idée fixe is a 19th-century French coinage. French writer Honoré de Balzac used it in his 1830 novella Gobseck to describe an obsessive idea. By 1836, Balzac's more generalized use of the term had carried over into English, where idée fixe was embraced as a clinical and literary term for a persistent preoccupation or delusional idea that dominates a person's mind. Although it is still used in both psychology and music, nowadays idée fixe is also applied to milder and more pedestrian obsessions.
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Examples of idée fixe in a Sentence
Word History
French, literally, fixed idea
1836, in the meaning defined above
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Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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Cite this Entry
“Idée fixe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/id%C3%A9e%20fixe. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
French, literally "fixed idea"
Medical Definition
idée fixe
nouncalled also fixed idea
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