Seance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈseɪˌɑns/

Definitions

1. An event in which people collectively seek to establish contact with departed souls through the use of a medium and specific ceremonial methods
2. A meeting where participants attempt communication with spirits through a medium using ritual practices
3. An arranged occasion in which individuals try to connect with the souls of the deceased guided by a psychic intermediary

Etymology: The French word "séance" simply means "sitting" or "session," and it comes from the Old French "seoir," meaning "to sit," which descends from the Latin "sedere." A séance, in its original French sense, was any gathering held in session, such as a meeting of a council or a sitting of an assembly. English borrowed the word from French, and it kept that plain sense of a formal sitting for a while before taking on its spiritual meaning. The sense shift came with the spiritualist movement, when groups of people sat together around a table, often in darkened rooms, hoping to receive messages from the dead. The French word, already meaning a gathering held in session, was a natural label for this kind of organised sitting, and English speakers used it for these occasions. The meaning of the word narrowed from any meeting to one specific ritual of communication with spirits. Modern readers know the word almost only in its supernatural sense, so the older sense of a simple formal session survives mainly in the French word itself.

Synonyms: spiritual session, medium session