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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

cathexis.

The concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/kəˈθɛk sɪs/UK
  1. The concentration of libido or emotional energy on a single object or idea.

    countable · uncountable
Where this word comes from

From Ancient Greek κάθεξις (káthexis, “holding, retention”). The term entered the English language as a translation for the common everyday German word Besetzung, which in the context of psychoanalysis means "occupation" in the sense of a position or something being occupied or filled, and not a military occupation of a place or the filling of job positions (although it can also mean either of these in other contexts). (In English translations, a Greek word was used to be more scientific.)

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.