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animism
7 dictionary results for: Animism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
an·i·mism 
[an-uh-miz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
[an-uh-miz-uhm] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls. |
| 2. | the belief that natural objects have souls that may exist apart from their material bodies. |
| 3. | the doctrine that the soul is the principle of life and health. |
| 4. | belief in spiritual beings or agencies. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| an·i·mism
(ān'ə-mĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.
[From Latin anima, soul; see anə- in Indo-European roots.] an'i·mist n., an'i·mis'tic adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
animism
animism
1866, reintroduced by Sir Edward Burnett Taylor, who defined it (1871) as the "theory of the universal animation of nature," from L. anima "life, breath, soul." Earlier sense was of "doctrine that animal life is produced by an immaterial soul" (1832), from Ger. Animismus, coined c.1720 by physicist/chemist Georg Ernst Stahl (1660-1734) based on the concept of the anima mundi (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| animism | |
noun | |
| the doctrine that all natural objects and the universe itself have souls; "animism is common among primitive peoples" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
animism [(an-uh-miz-uhm)]
animism [(an-uh-miz-uhm)]
The belief that natural objects such as rivers and rocks possess a soul or spirit. Anima is the Latin word for “soul” or “spirit.” (See voodoo.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
animism [(an-uh-miz-uhm)]
animism [(an-uh-miz-uhm)]
The belief, common among so-called primitive people, that objects and natural phenomena, such as rivers, rocks, and wind, are alive and have feelings and intentions. Animistic beliefs form the basis of many cults. (See also fetish and totemism.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Animism
An"i*mism\, n. [Cf. F. animisme, fr. L. anima soul. See Animate.]1. The doctrine, taught by Stahl, that the soul is the proper principle of life and development in the body. 2. The belief that inanimate objects and the phenomena of nature are endowed with personal life or a living soul; also, in an extended sense, the belief in the existence of soul or spirit apart from matter. --Tylor.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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