séance

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A meeting of people to communicate with the dead: A "séance" is a gathering in which participants attempt to contact spirits of deceased individuals, typically through a medium. This is the primary and most common meaning.
   • A session or sitting: Historically, "séance" (from French, meaning "a sitting") can refer to any formal meeting or session, especially one involving discussion or consultation. This usage is now rare in English.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • They held a séance in the dimly lit room to try to contact their late grandmother. (A formal meeting to communicate with a spirit.)
  • The medium claimed to have made contact during the séance. (The event of communicating with the dead.)
  • The séance lasted over two hours, with participants holding hands around a table. (The specific gathering for spiritual communication.)

Advanced Usage

• "to hold a séance": to organize and conduct a meeting intended to contact spirits.

  • The group decided to hold a séance on the anniversary of the writer's death. (They arranged the ritual.)

• "to conduct a séance": to lead or manage the proceedings of a séance, typically performed by a medium.

  • The professional medium conducted the séance with great solemnity. (She led the spiritual session.)

Variants and Related Words

• Séance (n): no direct grammatical variants in English; it is a loanword from French.
• Séance-goer (n): a person who participates in a séance.
  • The séance-goer was skeptical at first but became emotional during the session. (A participant in the spiritual meeting.)

Synonyms

• Spiritual session: a meeting focused on spiritual or psychic communication.
• Sitting: a formal meeting, especially with a medium (often used interchangeably in historical contexts).
• Seance (alternative spelling): less common but accepted variant, especially in older texts.

Phrasal Verbs

• No direct phrasal verbs exist for "séance," as it is a noun. However, related verbs include:
  • to hold a séance (see Advanced Usage)
  • to attend a séance (to participate in one)

    • She agreed to attend the séance out of curiosity. (She went to the meeting.)

Related Idioms

• "like a séance": used metaphorically to describe a quiet, tense, or eerie atmosphere where something mysterious seems to happen.
  • The meeting felt like a séance, with everyone speaking in hushed tones. (The atmosphere was spooky and secretive.)

Notes on Spelling and Usage

• Spelling: The word is borrowed from French, and the acute accent (é) is often retained in English, though it may be omitted in informal writing (e.g., "seance"). The accent does not affect pronunciation.
• Cultural context: Séances are often associated with spiritualism, a 19th-century movement, and are depicted in Gothic fiction, horror films, and paranormal investigations. They are not scientifically validated.