Telepathies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The phenomenon of communicating thoughts or feelings without physical interaction; the concept of mind-to-mind transmission of information; an ability attributed to certain individuals to perceive or influence others' mental states or emotions
2. A form of non-verbal communication wherein mental signals are exchanged directly between individuals; a theoretical psychic connection that enables individuals to share insights or intentions; an extraordinary skill often depicted in fiction that allows for understanding without spoken words
3. A supposed capability to read or send thoughts beyond conventional sensory means; a mode of communication that bypasses traditional language to convey ideas directly; a mental link that enables individuals to connect on an intellectual or emotional level without overt expressions

Etymology: Frederic W. H. Myers, a classical scholar turned psychical researcher, coined "telepathy" in 1882 by joining the Greek "tele", meaning "distant" or "far off", to "pathos", meaning "feeling" or "suffering". The result was a name for feeling something across a distance, and Myers chose it to describe the transfer of thoughts and emotions between minds without the use of the senses. The word's ingredients are old, but the combination is entirely modern. Ancient Greek had "tele" and "pathos" separately, and "pathos" itself gave English words such as "sympathy" and "empathy", both of which have the same emotional root. "Telepathy" is best understood as a deliberate 19th-century coinage built from classical parts, not a term the ancient Greeks used. The plural "telepathies" refers to more than one such supposed capability or instance of thought transfer, or to different varieties of the phenomenon.