Transes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. States of altered consciousness characterized by reduced awareness and responsiveness, often induced by hypnosis or trance-like conditions; plural form referring to multiple instances of such states
2. Periods marked by a trance, during which normal perception is suspended and heightened suggestibility or focus occurs; used in the plural to denote more than one occurrence
3. Descriptions of mental states involving deep absorption or captivation where external stimuli are minimized, commonly associated with spiritual or ritual practices; refers to several episodes of such experiences

Etymology: "Transes" is the plural of "transe", a noun meaning a state of deep mental absorption, in which a person seems cut off from their surroundings. The singular "transe" comes from French, where it is the same word, and it reached English as a borrowing of that French noun. The French "transe" is tied to the verb "transir", which in older usage meant to be struck with fear or to be numbed, often with the sense of passing through or past something. That older sense of being overcome, pushed beyond one's ordinary state, is the thread that connects the French noun to the English idea of a person carried out of themselves into a trance-like absorption.

Synonyms: trances, states of unconsciousness, daydreams, reveries, hypnotic states

Antonyms: awakenings, consciousness, alertness