Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hypnotism \Hyp"no*tism\, n. [Gr. ? sleep: cf. F. hypnotisme.]
   A form of sleep or somnambulism brought on by artificial
   means, in which there is an unusual suspension of some
   powers, and an unusual activity of others. It is induced by
   an action upon the nerves, through the medium of the senses,
   as in persons of very feeble organization, by gazing steadly
   at a very bright object held before the eyes, or by pressure
   upon certain points of the surface of the body.

Source : WordNet®

hypnotism
     n : the act of inducing hypnosis [syn: {mesmerism}, {suggestion}]