animist


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an·i·mism

 (ăn′ə-mĭz′əm)
n.
1. The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena.
2. The belief in the existence of spiritual beings that are separable or separate from bodies.
3. The hypothesis holding that an immaterial force animates the universe.

[From Latin anima, soul; see anə- in Indo-European roots.]

an′i·mist n.
an′i·mis′tic adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.animist - one who accepts the doctrine of animism
adherent, disciple - someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another
Adj.1.animist - of or pertaining to the doctrine of animism
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

animist

[ˈænɪmɪst]
A. ADJanimista
B. Nanimista mf
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
References in periodicals archive ?
The human-like figures, said to originate in pre-Buddhist animist belief, were put up in Kou Lorb commune's Banteay, Samrith, Kambor and Kou Lorb villages.
"These objects are the product of a syncretic mix of animist, pre-colonial beliefs, popular Catholicism and cabbalistic and masonic traditions.
In local discourse, they may also denote indigenous animist or so-called Brahmanic traditions.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the sprawling South-East Asian archipelago who adhere to non-recognised animist and mystical faiths have long suffered discrimination and limited access to public services.
Devotees cross the bridge to the temple, which sits in the middle of a lake, believing the snakes there will ensure their prayers are answered The mythical naga," a Sanskrit word for snake, is a common figure seen in temples throughout Southeast Asia, where Buddhist, Hindu and animist influences are intertwined.
Most people also keep original animist beliefs, but there is no 'animist' on the census choices.
The Kalash are an animist group and under a constant pressure to convert which a steady trickle do, making it ever-harder to sustain the indigenous population as deaths and external migration also eat at the numbers.
As an Animist, Ophelia has abilities to pass between mirrors and to read the history of objects through touch.
Most notably, proponents of a recently refigured 'animism' have portrayed an attribution of life to inorganic objects as characteristic of possessors of a newly defined animist 'ontology'.
Paris urged all militant groups - mainly Christian and Animist radicals and Muslim extremists - to lay down their arms and refrain from further violence.
However, in Southeast Asia there is an animist social continuum ranging from egalitarian societies, ranked societies, and hierarchical societies.
Created with Scottish Dance Theatre, it explores the mythology associated with mountains inspired by the pagan and animist rituals practised in mountains of Tohoku, Japan.