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animatism

[an-uh-muh-tiz-uh m]
noun
  1. the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.
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Origin of animatism

First recorded in 1895–1900; animate + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for animatism

Historical Examples

  • What truth there was in that doctrine is fully covered by Animatism.

    The Origin of Man and of his Superstitions

    Carveth Read

  • Animatism, the animation theory of seemingly inanimate nature, is a further subdivision which also includes animatism and animism.

    Totem and Taboo

    Sigmund Freud

British Dictionary definitions for animatism

animatism

noun
  1. the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012