Main Entry:

an·i·mism

Pronunciation:

\ˈa-nə-ˌmi-zəm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

German Animismus, from Latin anima soul

Date:

1832

1 : a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit 2 : attribution of conscious life to objects in and phenomena of nature or to inanimate objects 3 : belief in the existence of spirits separable from bodies

— an·i·mist \-mist\ noun

— an·i·mis·tic \ˌa-nə-ˈmis-tik\ adjective