Animistic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A belief system attributing consciousness, spirit, or life force to natural objects, phenomena, and the physical world
2. A philosophical stance that attributes spiritual essence or consciousness to all elements of nature, including animals, plants, and inanimate objects
3. A worldview that ascribes life or spirit to all entities in nature, viewing animals, plants, and non-living things as possessing consciousness or vital essence

Etymology: "Animistic" is built from "animist" plus the adjective-forming suffix "-ic," and the suffix has a longer ancestry than the base word. The "-icus" ending came from Latin, where it turned nouns into adjectives meaning "pertaining to" or "characteristic of." It passed through Old French, reached Middle English as "-ik," and eventually became the English "-ic" that appears in words like "heroic" and "poetic." Attaching it to "animist" produced "animistic," meaning relating to animism. The base word, "animist," is itself the key to the meaning. It derives from the Latin "anima," meaning breath, life, or soul, the same root that gives English "animate" and "animal." An animist is someone who holds that spirit or life resides in many things, and the adjective describes beliefs, practices, or worldviews that share this idea.

Synonyms: spiritual, soulful

Antonyms: materialistic