'hypnotism' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'hypnos,' where 'hypnos' meant 'sleep.'

'hypnos' transformed into the French word 'hypnotisme,' and eventually became the modern English word 'hypnotism' through the influence of the 19th-century Scottish surgeon James Braid.

Initially, it meant 'the act of putting someone to sleep,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'inducing a trance-like state.'