fixates
|fɪk-seɪt|
/ˈfɪkseɪt/
(fixate)
focus or obsess
Etymology
'fixate' originates from Latin, specifically the verb 'fixāre', where 'fix-' (from 'figere'/'fixus') meant 'to fasten' and '-āre' was a verbal suffix.
'fixate' changed from Latin 'fixāre' and Medieval/Neo-Latin forms such as 'fixatus' and entered English via Late Latin/Modern usage to yield the modern English 'fixate'.
Initially it meant 'to make firm or fasten', but over time it evolved to include the sense 'to make fixed mentally (to focus or obsess)', as well as specific scientific senses 'to fix chemically/physically'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
third-person singular present form of 'fixate'.
She fixates on tiny mistakes in her reports.
Verb 2
to direct or focus one's gaze or attention intensely on someone or something; to become obsessed with or overly preoccupied by.
He fixates on the one negative comment and ignores all the praise.
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Verb 3
in psychology, to become stuck at an earlier developmental stage (a Freudian sense) or to persistently attach to an earlier experience or object.
According to the theory, the patient fixates on childhood issues.
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Last updated: 2025/11/03 07:09