animatism

[an-uh-muh-tiz-uh m]

noun

the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.

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 of animatism

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

the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness

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