animatism
|an-i-ma-tism|
🇺🇸
/ˈænɪməˌtɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/ˈænɪmətɪzəm/
belief in an impersonal life-force pervading things
Etymology
'animatism' originates from English and ultimately from Latin, specifically the word 'anima,' where 'anima' meant 'breath, life, soul.'
'anima' led to Latin 'animatus' ('animated, alive'), which yielded English 'animate'; adding the suffix '-ism' in the early 20th century produced the modern English word 'animatism'.
Initially, it referred broadly to the idea that life or spirit pervades things, but it narrowed in anthropology to the current sense of an impersonal, pervasive supernatural force.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
belief in an impersonal, pervasive supernatural force (such as mana) that inhabits people, objects, and natural phenomena.
In some Oceanic societies, animatism explains how ritual objects are thought to hold power.
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Noun 2
in anthropology, the theory (associated with R. R. Marett) that early religion centered on an impersonal force rather than on personal spirits.
Animatism, as proposed by Marett, was argued to precede animism in the evolution of religious belief.
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Last updated: 2025/08/12 08:08