Orphism

[ awr-fiz-uhm ]

/ ˈɔr fɪz əm /

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noun

the religious or philosophical system of the Orphic school.

(often lowercase)Also called orphic cubism. Fine Arts. a short-lived but influential artistic movement of the early 20th century arising from analytic cubism and the work of Robert Delaunay and having as conspicuous characteristics the use of bold color, the dynamic, prismatic juxtaposition and overlapping of nonobjective geometric forms and planes, and a lightness and lyricism dissociated from its cubist origins.

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Compare synchromism.

Origin of Orphism

(def. 2) <French orphisme, equivalent to Orph(ée) Orpheus + -isme-ism; term introduced by G. Apollinaire c1913

OTHER WORDS FROM Orphism

Orphist, noun, adjective

Words nearby Orphism

orpharion, Orphean, Orpheus, Orpheus and Eurydice, Orphic, Orphism, orphrey, orpiment, orpine, Orpington, Orr

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Orphism in a sentence

Epimenides must be reckoned with Melampus and Onomacritus as one of the founders of Orphism.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 6|Various
Orphism took up the beliefs of paganism, and adapted them to its own ends.
The Unpopular Review Vol. I|Various
Orphism may very possibly represent an ancient Cretan religion in clash or fusion with one from Thrace.
The Bacchae of Euripides|Euripedes
Orphism though of foreign origin became a genuine Greek religion, and was the last.
The Unpopular Review Vol. I|Various

Orphism and the Mysteries had attempted the same thing in the Grecian world without achieving a lasting success.
The Apostles|Ernest Renan

British Dictionary definitions for Orphism

Orphism

/ (ˈɔːfɪzəm) /

noun

a mystery religion of ancient Greece, widespread from the 6th century bc onwards, combining pre-Hellenic beliefs, the Thracian cult of (Dionysius) Zagreus, etc

Derived forms of Orphism

Orphistic, adjective

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