First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1trance
noun \ˈtran(t)s\
: a state that is like being asleep except that you can move and respond to questions and commands like a person who is awake
: a state in which you are not aware of what is happening around you because you are thinking of something else
Full Definition of TRANCE
2
: a sleeplike state (as of deep hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity
3
: a state of profound abstraction or absorption
— trance·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective
See trance defined for English-language learners
See trance defined for kids
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Origin of TRANCE
Middle English traunce, from Anglo-French transe death, coma, rapture, from transir to depart, die, from Latin transire to cross, pass by — more at transient
Related to TRANCE
- Synonyms
- daydreaming, study, reverie, woolgathering
2trance
transitive verb
trancedtranc·ing
Definition of TRANCE
First Known Use of TRANCE
circa 1598
TRANCE Defined for Kids
trance
noun \ˈtrans\
Definition of TRANCE for Kids
1
: a condition like sleep (as deep hypnosis)
2
: a state of being so deeply absorbed in thought about something as to be unaware of anything else
3
: stupor <What with the brandy and the venison … I fell into a kind of trance … — Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped>
Medical Dictionary
trance
noun \ˈtran(t)s\
Medical Definition of TRANCE
1
: a sleeplike altered state of consciousness (as of deep hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity and subsequent lack of recall
2
: a state of profound abstraction or absorption
—trance·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective
Learn More About TRANCE
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