Cathexis (noun)
kath-eks-is
the investment of emotional significance in an activity, object, or idea.
First recorded in 1920–25; from New Latin, from Greek káthexis “a keeping,” equivalent to kathek- (variant stem of katéchein “to keep, hold on to,” equivalent to kat- cat- + échein “to have, hold”) + -sis -sis, as translation of German Besetzung a taking possession of (Freud’s term)
Example sentences
“She added a cathexis to the piece that couldn’t be emenated by other artists.”
