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anthropomorphism - 7 dictionary results

an⋅thro⋅po⋅mor⋅phism

  [an-thruh-puh-mawr-fiz-uhm]
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–noun
an anthropomorphic conception or representation, as of a deity.
Origin:
1745–55; anthropo- + -morphism

Related forms:
an⋅thro⋅po⋅mor⋅phist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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an·thro·po·mor·phism   (ān'thrə-pə-môr'fĭz'əm)   
n.  Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.
an'thro·po·mor'phic adj., an'thro·po·mor'phi·cal·ly adv., an'thro·po·mor'phist n.
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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Anthropomorphism

An`thro*po*mor"phism\, n. [Gr. ? of human form; ? man + ? form.]

1. The representation of the Deity, or of a polytheistic deity, under a human form, or with human attributes and affections.

2. The ascription of human characteristics to things not human.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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anthropomorphism

(an-thruh-puh-mawr-fiz-uhm) The attributing of human characteristics and purposes to inanimate objects, animals, plants, or other natural phenomena, or to God. To describe a rushing river as “angry” is to anthropomorphize it.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Main Entry: an·thro·po·mor·phism
Pronunciation: "an(t)-thr&-p&-'mor-"fiz-&m
Function: noun
: an interpretation ofwhat is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics —compare THERIOMORPHISM —an·thro·po·mor·phic /-fik/ adjective —an·thro·po·mor·phi·cal·ly /-i-k(&-)lE/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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anthropomorphism an·thro·po·mor·phism (ān'thrə-pə-môr'fĭz'əm)
n.
The attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to nonhuman organisms or inanimate objects.

an'thro·po·mor'phic adj.
an'thro·po·mor'phi·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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anthropomorphism

the interpretation of nonhuman things or events in terms of human characteristics, as when one senses malice in a computer or hears human voices in the wind. Derived from the Greek anthropos ("human") and morphe ("form"), the term was first used to refer to the attribution of human physical or mental features to deities. By the mid-19th century, however, it had acquired the second, broader meaning of a phenomenon occurring not only in religion but in all areas of human thought and action, including daily life, the arts, and even sciences. Anthropomorphism may occur consciously or unconsciously. Most scholars since the time of the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) have agreed that the tendency to anthropomorphize hinders the understanding of the world, but it is deep-seated and persistent

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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