séance

noun, verb — 3 senses

séance

noun

US /ˈseɪˌɑns/

Etymology Borrowed from French séance (“sitting, session”).

1

A ceremony where people try to communicate with the spirits of dead people, usually led by a medium.

[B]ut only too often séances degenerate into pure sorcery or necromancy, attracting all kinds of undeveloped and earth-bound entities.1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 231:

2

Dated The sitting of an assembly to discuss a matter.

Derived terms: séancer

séance

verb

Etymology Borrowed from French séance (“sitting, session”).

1

To hold a séance (communication with spirits).

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.