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Glite Dictionary
table lifting

table lifting

9.9
A rising of a table during a seance that people say spirits cause it
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪbəl ˈlɪftɪŋ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : levitación de mesa
  • During the Victorian era, table lifting became a popular parlor activity at spiritualist gatherings.

Examples

  • Skeptics tried to explain the mysterious table lifting as the result of unconscious muscle movements.

  • The medium claimed that the table lifting was a sign the spirits were present.

  • During the seance, we experienced table lifting.

  • The phenomenon of table lifting fascinated everyone present.

  • During the Victorian era, table lifting became a popular parlor activity at spiritualist gatherings.

  • Skeptics tried to explain the mysterious table lifting as the result of unconscious muscle movements.

  • The medium claimed that the table lifting was a sign the spirits were present.

Synonyms

table tipping
vstable lifting
  • Archaic
9.9

A table moving during a séance that people say is caused by spirits

is about an upward lift rather than sudden leaning or rocking
table tilting
vstable lifting
  • Archaic
9.9

A practice where a table moves during a meeting to contact spirits

focuses on upward movement rather than slow side leaning
table turning
vstable lifting
  • Archaic
9.9

A spiritual practice where people say a table moves during a meeting with spirits

means vertical raising rather than rotation or spinning

Surface Forms

table lifting singular
table liftings plural

Morphology

table + lift

The noun is a straightforward combination of 'table' (furniture) and 'lifting' (the act of raising), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer it refers to the raising or movement of a table. Although the term is often used for a specific spiritualist phenomenon (seances), the core meaning is fully compositional and hence transparent.

Etymology

Table lifting comes from seances where people put their hands on a table and the table seemed to rise or move as if someone unseen were pushing it, so they believed 'spirits' were lifting it. That's why table lifting means the strange movement or raising of a table at a seance, thought to show the presence of 'spirits'.