Orphism

[awr-fiz-uh m]

See more synonyms for Orphism on Thesaurus.com

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.

Compare synchromism.

Origin of Orphism

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

Related formsOr·phist, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for orphism

pietism, spiritualism, cabalism, cabala, quietism, kabala, cabbalism, ontologism, orphism

Examples from the Web for orphism

Historical Examples of orphism

Orphism took up the beliefs of paganism, and adapted them to its own ends.
The Unpopular Review Vol. I
Various
But Orphism was also connected with Crete, and Cretan civilization had oriental affinities.
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3 (of 3)
Charles Eliot
Orphism and the Mysteries had attempted the same thing in the Grecian world without achieving a lasting success.
The Apostles
Ernest Renan
Orphism is especially important because it taught men to expect in the future life not only rewards but also punishments.
The Origin of Paul's Religion
J. Gresham Machen
But Orphism, though liable to degradation, purified and elevated the old Bacchic rites.
The Legacy of Greece
Various

British Dictionary definitions for orphism

Orphism

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 FormsOrphistic, 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