animism

noun an·i·mism \ ˈa-nə-ˌmi-zəm \

|Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of animism

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

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animist

play \-mist\ noun

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animistic

play \ˌa-nə-ˈmis-tik\ adjective

See animism defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of animism from the Web

Abbas devoted the next few years to chronicling other religions and beliefs, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and animism, which is the belief that animals and plants have a spiritual essence.

— matt schudel, Washington Post, "Abbas, photojournalist of Iranian revolution, religious extremism, dies at 74," 28 Apr. 2018
This native animism will take on special importance in the case of Lenin.

— olga ingurazova, Smithsonian, "What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?," 29 Sep. 2017
Animism: The Gods’ Lake is an alternate reality game designed to explore aboriginal Canadian legends through a contemporary setting.

— michael andersen, WIRED, "New ARG Tasks You With Tracking Down Mythical Canadian Creatures," 2 Sep. 2010

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'animism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of animism

German Animismus, from Latin anima soul

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1832

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Occult Terms

augury, censor, invocation, lucidity, metempsychosis, mojo, numinous, preternatural, weird, wraith

ANIMISM Defined for English Language Learners

animism

noun

Definition of animism for English Language Learners

: the belief that all plants, animals, and objects have spirits

Medical Dictionary

animism

noun an·i·mism \ ˈan-ə-ˌmiz-əm \

medical Definition of animism

1 : a doctrine that the vital principle of organic development is immaterial spirit

2 : attribution of conscious life to nature or natural objects

—

animist

play \-məst\ noun

—

animistic

play \ˌan-ə-ˈmis-tik\ adjective

Learn More about animism

See words that rhyme with animism Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about animism

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animism

Definition of animism

animist

animistic

Recent Examples of animism from the Web

Origin and Etymology of animism

Other Occult Terms

ANIMISM Defined for English Language Learners

animism

Definition of animism for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

animism

medical Definition of animism

animist

animistic

Learn More about animism

Seen and Heard

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