Definition of Animatism

1. Noun. The attribution of consciousness and personality to natural phenomena such as thunderstorms and earthquakes and to objects such as plants and stones.

Generic synonyms: Ascription, Attribution
Derivative terms: Animatistic

Definition of Animatism

1. Noun. The belief that everything is pervaded with a life-force giving each inanimate object a consciousness or personality, but not a soul as in animism. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Animatism

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Animatism

1. Attribution of mental or spiritual qualities to both living beings and nonliving things. See: animism. (05 Mar 2000)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Animatism

animated cartoons
animated oat
animatedly
animately
animateness
animatenesses
animater
animaters
animates
animatic
animatics
animating
animatingly
animation
animations
animatism (current term)
animatisms
animatist
animatistic
animatists
animative
animato
animator
animators
animatronic
animatronically
animatronics
animats
anime

Literary usage of Animatism

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The American Journal of Psychology by Edward Bradford ( Titchener, Granville Stanley Hall (1918)
"This period when willing etc. experiences are read out into things Marett would call " animatism." universally held among primitive man, ..."

2. Folklore by Folklore Society (Great Britain) (1900)
"What may be called a " coincidental marvel " is explained by a myth, and Mythology need be no more than a sort of animatism grown picturesque. ..."

3. Publications by Folklore Society (Great Britain), Parish Register Society (Great Britain) (1900)
"... and ask the fire to explain to the stone that nothing wrong is being done.1 Here we seem to have simple animatism, but it may be said to tremble on the ..."

4. The Social Evolution of Religion by George Willis Cooke (1920)
"They ceased to find their chief expression in an undefined animatism or in the form of animal- beings of supernatural powers, and became fathers, that is, ..."

5. An Encyclopaedia of Religions by Maurice Arthur Canney (1921)
"animatism. In reference to Hellenic worship, LR Farnell (Greek Religion, ... The use of the ¡.tenn animatism was suggested originally by RR Marett ..."

6. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1919)
"... in SCIENCE for November 1, 1918, "the words animism and animists, wherever used, should be replaced by " animatism " and ..."

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