animistic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to animism, the belief that spirits or souls inhabit natural beings, objects, or phenomena

   The ritual reflected an animistic belief that the river possessed its own spirit.

2. 2
   adj

   explaining events by attributing intention, emotion, or agency to nature or inanimate things

   The claim that the storm was angry offered an animistic explanation of the disaster.

Formed from animist + -ic, or from animism + -istic. Animism is built on Latin anima, 'breath, life, soul,' with -ism. The modern anthropological sense concerns belief in spiritual agency within nature; animistic can also describe explanations that assign will or feeling to natural events.

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