Although Miss Kingsley (39, 139) expresses regret that the word Fetish ‘is getting very loosely used in England,’ she scarcely helps forward the work of distinction and arrangement when a few lines further on she announces ‘When I say Fetish, or Ju Ju, I mean the religion of the natives of West Africa.’ Subsequently she overstepped her own definition, describing the secret societies as ‘pure fetish’ (41, 139), although they ‘are not essentially religious,’ but ‘are mainly judicial.’ The Rev. R. H. Nassau perpetuates this vague use of the word, grouping under the name of Fetishism all native customs even remotely connected, as everything is in West Africa, with religious or magical beliefs, until the ejaculation uttered when one sneezes or stumbles receives the sounding title, ‘fetish prayer’ (53, 97). These ‘lumpings’ are all the more to be regretted since Miss Kingsley and the Rev. R. H. Nassau are among the chief authorities on West African Fetishism in its most characteristic forms, and a clear definition of the use of the word, with a rigid adherence to its proper meaning, would have done great service in preventing many misconceptions. The meaning of any word depends upon its definition, and it may be defined in three ways: 1. etymologically; 2. historically; 3. dogmatically. 1. The word fetish is derived through the Portuguese _feitiço_ from the Latin _facticius_—_facere_ = to do. This shows the original conception at the root of the word. 2. The historical definition shows the growth or evolution of the meaning of the word, starting from its original conception. Dr. Tylor has pointed out how magic has appropriated to itself the derivatives of ‘to do,’ such as _feitiço_ in Portuguese, _fattura_ in Italian, _faiture_ in Old French, and many more, thus claiming to be ‘doing’ _par excellence_ (70, 135). This tendency is already noticeable even in classical times (‘_potens et factiosus_,’ possessed of power and influence, Auct. _Her._ 2, 26, 40), and is well marked in Plautus, who uses various derivatives of _facere_ to mean ‘powerful’ or ‘influential,’ especially with reference to influence due to family connection or to riches (_factiones_, _Aul._ II. i. 45; _factiosus_, ib. II. ii. 50; _factio_, _Cist._ II. i. 17, etc.). From this sense of =potent politically=, later Latin developed the meaning of =potent magically=, as seen in _facturari_, to bewitch, _factura_, witchcraft, from which latter is descended the Old French _faiture_, witchcraft, and perhaps our slang word ‘fake.’ =Fetish= as derived from the passive form _facticius_, meaning made by art, artificial, was probably first applied to images, idols or amulets made by hand, and later included =all objects possessing magical potency=, _i.e._ bewitched or ‘faked.’[3] 3. The dogmatic definition of a word is the meaning attached to it by individuals of authority.