Definitions for seance
ˈseɪ ɑnsseance

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. seance, sitting, sessionnoun

   a meeting of spiritualists

   "the seance was held in the medium's parlor"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. séancenoun

   A ceremony where people try to communicate with the spirits of dead people, usually led by a medium.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. seance

   A séance or seance (; French: [seɑ̃s]) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word séance comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French seoir, "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma" ("a movie session"). In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from ghosts or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits. In modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance. Fictionalised conversations between the deceased appeared in Dialogues of the Dead by George, First Baron Lyttelton, published in England in 1760. Among the notable spirits quoted in this volume are Peter the Great, Pericles, a "North-American Savage", William Penn, and Christina, Queen of Sweden. The popularity of séances grew dramatically with the founding of the religion of Spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps the best-known series of séances conducted at that time were those of Mary Todd Lincoln who, grieving the loss of her son, organized Spiritualist séances in the White House, which were attended by her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, and other prominent members of society. The 1887 Seybert Commission report marred the credibility of Spiritualism at the height of its popularity by publishing exposures of fraud and showmanship among secular séance leaders. Modern séances continue to be a part of the religious services of Spiritualist, Spiritist, and Espiritismo churches today, where a greater emphasis is placed on spiritual values versus showmanship.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. seance

   A seance is a meeting at which people attempt to make contact with the dead, especially through the use of a medium, typically involving a group of people who gather in a quiet, dimly lit environment. Communication can purportedly be made through a variety of means, such as spirit writing, physical phenomena like the moving of objects, or direct verbal communication. The term is commonly associated with practices of spiritualism, mysticism, and the paranormal.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Seancenoun

   a session, as of some public body; especially, a meeting of spiritualists to receive spirit communication, so called

2. Etymology: [F., fr. L. sedens, -entis, p. pr. of sedere to sit. See Sit.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Séance

   A séance or seance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma". In English, however, the word came to be used specifically for a meeting of people who are gathered to receive messages from spirits or to listen to a spirit medium discourse with or relay messages from spirits; many people, including skeptics and non-believers, treat it as a form of entertainment. In modern English usage, participants need not be seated while engaged in a séance. One of the earliest books on the subject of communication amongst deceased persons was Communitation With the Other Side by George, First Baron Lyttelton, published in England in 1760. Among the notable spirits quoted in this volume are Peter the Great, Pericles, a "North-American Savage," William Penn, and Christina, Queen of Sweden. The popularity of séances grew dramatically with the founding of the religion of Spiritualism in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps the best-known series of séances conducted at that time were those of Mary Todd Lincoln who, grieving the loss of her son, organized Spiritualist séances in the White House, which were attended by her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, and other prominent members of society. The 1887 Seybert Commission report marred the credibility of Spiritualism at the height of its popularity by publishing exposures of fraud and showmanship among secular séance leaders. Modern séances continue to be a part of the religious services of Spiritualist, Spiritist, and Espiritismo churches today, where a greater emphasis is placed on spiritual values versus showmanship.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Séance

   sā′ängs, n. a sitting, as of some public body: a sitting for consideration or inquiry, esp. a meeting of spiritualists for the consultation of spirits. [Fr.,—L. sedēre, to sit.]

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. séance

   Song lyrics by séance -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by séance on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Meeting

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for seance »

1. scæne

2. Seneca

3. acenes

4. encase

How to pronounce seance?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say seance in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of seance in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of seance in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of seance in a Sentence

1. Michael Rakowitz:

   Almost as soon as Carolyn [Christov-Bakargiev] showed me these images of this atelier, I immediately understood that also, as a city, it was these Armenian fingers and hands that were creating these motifs on the building that were bearing silent witness to the trauma in the past 100 years. And it was almost like this architectural seance, where these citizens that were forcibly forgotten, were able to come back in.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=seance
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Seance
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seance
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seance
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=seance
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=seance
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=seance