syncretism
- the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.
- Grammar. the merging, as by historical change in a language, of two or more categories in a specified environment into one, as, in nonstandard English, the use of was with both singular and plural subjects, while in standard English was is used with singular subjects (except for you in the second person singular) and were with plural subjects.
Origin of syncretism
Examples from the Web for syncretic
Historical Examples of syncretic
The syncretic nature of the signs of practical experiences were reflected in the syncretism of tools and signs.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
Due to the syncretic nature of such events, rituals addressed existence in its perceived totality.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
The syncretic stage of human activity was dominated by observations and short cycles of action- reaction.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
There is no distinct political dimension in the syncretic pragmatics of immediacy.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
It was a difficult undertaking, especially under the provisions of centralized, syncretic authority.
The Civilization of IlliteracyMihai Nadin
syncretism
- the tendency to syncretize
- the historical tendency of languages to reduce their use of inflection, as in the development of Old English with all its case endings into Modern English
Word Origin for syncretism
Word Origin and History for syncretic
syncretism
"reconciliation of different beliefs," 1610s, from Modern Latin syncretismus (David Pareus, 1615), from Greek synkretismos "union of communities," from synkretizein "to combine against a common enemy," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + second element of uncertain origin. One theory connects it with kretismos "lying," from kretizein "to lie like a Cretan;" another connects it with the stem of kerannynai "to mix, blend;" krasis "mixture."