Psychical

['saɪkɪkl]

Definition

(a.) Of or pertaining to the human soul, or to the living principle in man.

(a.) Of or pertaining to the mind, or its functions and diseases; mental; -- contrasted with physical.

Editor: Lyle

Definition

adj. pertaining to the soul or living principle in man: spiritual: pertaining to the mind or to its faculties and functions.—ns. Psy′che the personified soul or spirit: the human soul or spirit or mind: a genus of bombycid moths: a cheval-glass; Psychī′ater Psychī′atrist one who treats diseases of the mind an alienist; Psychī′atry the treatment of mental diseases; Psy′chic a spiritualistic medium; Psy′chics the science of psychology; Psy′chism the doctrine that there is a universal soul animating all living beings; Psy′chist; Psychogen′esis Psychog′eny the origination and development of the soul; Psychog′ony the doctrine of the development of mind; Psy′chograph an instrument used for so-called spirit-writing.—adj. Psychograph′ic.—n. Psychog′raphy the natural history of mind: supposed spirit-writing by the hand of a medium.—adjs. Psycholog′ic -al pertaining to psychology: pertaining to the mind.—adv. Psycholog′ically.—v.i. Psychol′ogise.—ns. Psychol′ogist one who studies psychology; Psychol′ogy the science which classifies and analyses the phenomena or varying states of the human mind; Psychom′achy a conflict of soul with body; Psy′chomancy necromancy; Psychom′etry the science of the measurement of the duration &c. of mental processes: an occult power claimed by some charlatans of divining the secret properties of things by mere contact.—adj. Psy′chomōtor pertaining to such mental action as induces muscular contraction.—ns. Psychoneurol′ogy that part of neurology which deals with mental action; Psychoneurō′sis mental disease without apparent anatomical lesion; Psychon′omy the science of the laws of mental action; Psychonosol′ogy the branch of medical science that treats of mental diseases; Psychopan′nychism the theory that at death the soul falls asleep till the resurrection; Psychopan′nychist; Psychopar′esis mental weakness; Psy′chopath a morally irresponsible person; Psychop′athist an alienist; Psychop′athy derangement of mental functions.—adj. Psy′cho-phys′ical.—ns. Psy′cho-phys′icist; Psy′cho-physiol′ogy Psy′cho-phys′ics the knowledge of the manifold correspondences of the most intimate and exact kind that exist between states and changes of consciousness on the one hand and states and changes of brain on the other—the concomitance being apparently complete as respects complexity intensity and time-order; Psy′choplasm the physical basis of consciousness; Psy′chopomp Hermes the guide of spirits to the other world; Psychō′sis mental condition: a change in the field of consciousness: any mental disorder; Psychostā′sia the weighing of souls; Psy′cho-stat′ics the theory of the conditions of the phenomena of mind; Psychothē′ism the doctrine that God is pure spirit; Psychotherapeu′tics Psychother′apy the art of curing mental disease.—Psychical research inquiring into alleged phenomena apparently implying a connection with another world; Psychic force a power not physical or mechanical supposed to cause certain so-called spiritualistic phenomena.

Edited by Eileen