5 results for: totemism

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
to·tem·ism    Audio Help   [toh-tuh-miz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.the practice of having totems.
2.the system of tribal division according to totems.

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

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

To learn more about totemism visit Britannica.com

© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
to·tem·ism    Audio Help   (tō'tə-mĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A belief in totems or in kinship through common affiliation to a totem.
  2. The practice of establishing affiliation through totems.

to'tem·ist n., to'tem·is'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.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
totemism

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

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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


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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