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