To break or snap out of a hypnotic trance or state of fascination; to awaken someone from a spell-like condition.
From de- (reverse, undo) + mesmerize (from Franz Mesmer, who popularized hypnosis in the 18th century). The prefix de- inverts the action of mesmerizing.
This word is pure 19th-century drama—when 'mesmerize' became fashionable after Mesmer's animal magnetism craze, people immediately wanted a word for snapping out of it, capturing a moment when hypnotism seemed both thrilling and dangerous.
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