Word.ws English Dictionary

Perkinism

Perkinism noun: a pseudoscientific treatment in which two pointed metal rods ("tractors") were waved over the body, supposed to cure inflammation, rheumatism, etc. by drawing off an electrical fluid.

Noun

Perkinism (uncountable)

  1. (archaic) A pseudoscientific treatment in which two pointed metal rods ("tractors") were waved over the body, supposed to cure inflammation, rheumatism, etc. by drawing off an electrical fluid.

Synonyms of Perkinism

Origin of Perkinism

From Perkins + -ism, after inventor Elisha Perkins (1741–1799).

Questions about Perkinism

What does Perkinism mean?
Perkinism means a pseudoscientific treatment in which two pointed metal rods ("tractors") were waved over the body, supposed to cure inflammation, rheumatism, etc. by drawing off an electrical fluid.
What part of speech is Perkinism?
Perkinism is a noun.

Words near Perkinism in the dictionary

  1. perking
  2. perking one's ears
  3. perking up
  4. perking up one's ears
  5. perkings
  6. Perkinism
  7. Perkins
  8. Perkins County
  9. Perkinsian
  10. perkinsid
  11. perkinsids

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Perkinism (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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