animist
1
9.1
- adjective
- /ˈænɪmɪst/
:
animista
- The tribe's rituals are deeply rooted in their animist beliefs, honoring both nature and ancestors.
It's Hinduism as well, and the animist religions, the religions of the extent we understand them or know about them, of the American Indians all the same.
- It's Hinduism as well, and the animist religions, the religions of the extent we understand them or know about them, of the American Indians all the same.
Examples
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This understanding obviates the tendency to dismiss African indigenous religions as animist and pagan.
Academic text (2010) -
With their American education, Christian faith, and English language, the settlers in Liberia were as different from the animist hunter-gatherers and subsistence farmers of the jungle as any white occupying colonial power arriving in Africa.
Academic text (2010) -
But again, their animist religions taught them that humans are no more valuable than trees or insects.
Blog text (4) -
Had you been born in the Amazon rainforest, you would be animist.
Blog text (18) -
Moreover, he was from an African country that still has a heavy quotient of animist religions.
Blog text (23) -
As part of their animist roots, nature is an invisible force only partly felt through sensations of hope, dread, or fear.
Blog text (22) -
In the West African country of Mali, the Dogon and Bamana people still practice traditional animist religions.
Academic text (2009) -
Though he was a practical man who rejected the animist traditions of his forefathers, he allowed himself to flirt with the notion that lizards might be spiritual functionaries whose purpose was to oversee the travels of those fated to be exiles in the country of their birth.
Fiction book (2002) -
Many environmentalists advocate for an animist perspective, emphasizing the spiritual connection between humans and the earth.
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Through their animist practices, they celebrate the life force in all living beings, from animals to plants.
Synonyms
1
9.9
Relating to the belief that natural things like trees and rivers have spirits
A belief that natural things like rivers, trees, and mountains have spirits or a special power
How Animistic
1
9.9
1
9.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
animist = animism (semi-transparent) = anim + ist
Formed from 'animism' + '-ist'; the adjectival sense relates to believers/doctrine but relies on knowledge of the bound root 'anim-'.
Etymology
Animist as an adjective comes from the Latin anima, meaning 'soul' or 'life', the same root you meet in animal and animate. That's why something described as animist treats nature as 'alive' or full of 'spirit'.