5 results for: totemism

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TOTE/VOTE

toteable

Totear

toted

TOTEF

totem

totem pole

totemic

totemically

totemism

totemisms

totemist

totemistic

totemite

totems

toter

totes

TOTFA

TOTGA

TOTH

tother

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

to·tem·ism

Audio Help [toh-tuh-miz-uh

–noun

1.	the practice of having totems.

2.	the system of tribal division according to totems.

[Origin: 1785–95, Americanism; totem + -ism

]

—Related forms

to·tem·is·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
totemism

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

to·tem·ism Audio Help (tō'tə-mĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.

A belief in totems or in kinship through common affiliation to a totem.
The practice of establishing affiliation through totems.

to'tem·ist n., to'tem·is'tic adj.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

totemism
noun
belief in the kinship of a group of people with a common totem

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
totemism [(toh-tuh-miz-uhm)]

The belief that people are descended from animals, plants, and other natural objects. Symbols of these natural ancestors, known as totems, are often associated with clans (groups of families tracing common descent). By representing desirable individual qualities (such as the swiftness of a deer) and helping to explain the mythical origin of the clan, totems reinforce clan identity and solidarity.

[Chapter:] Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology

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