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animist - 3 dictionary results

an⋅i⋅mism

  [an-uh-miz-uhm]
Use animist in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1825–35; < L anim(a) (see anima ) + -ism

Related forms:
an⋅i⋅mist, adjective
an⋅i⋅mis⋅tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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an·i·mism   (ān'ə-mĭz'əm)   
n.  
  1. The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena.
  2. The belief in the existence of spiritual beings that are separable or separate from bodies.
  3. The hypothesis holding that an immaterial force animates the universe.

[From Latin anima, soul; see anə- in Indo-European roots.]
an'i·mist n., an'i·mis'tic adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Animist

An"i*mist\, n. [Cf. F. animiste.] One who maintains the doctrine of animism.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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