rjhutson

obsession [əbˈse sh ən]
noun
the state of being obsessed with someone or something : he cared for him with a devotion bordering on obsession.
• an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind : he was in the grip of an obsession he was powerless to resist.
DERIVATIVES
obsessional |- sh ənl| adjective
obsessionally |- sh ənl-ē| adverb
ORIGIN early 16th cent. (in the sense [siege]): from Latin obsessio(n-), from the verb obsidere (see obsess). hutson's obsession came with beauty |ˈbyoōtē|
noun ( pl. -ties)
1 a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, esp. the sight : I was struck by his beauty | an area of outstanding natural beauty.
• a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense.
• [as adj. ] denoting something intended to make a man more attractive : beauty products | beauty treatment.
2 a beautiful or pleasing thing or person, in particular
• a beautiful man.
• an excellent specimen or example of something : the fish was a beauty, around 14 pounds.
• ( the beauties of) the pleasing or attractive features of something : the beauties of the Pennsylvania mountains.
• [in sing. ] the best feature or advantage of something : the beauty of keeping cats is that they don't tie you down.
PHRASES
beauty is in the eye of the beholder proverb beauty cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.
beauty is only skin-deep proverb a pleasing appearance is not a guide to character.
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French beaute, based on Latin bellus ‘beautiful, fine.