anthropophagic
- adjective
- /ˌænθrəˈpɒfədʒɪk/
- Offensive
:
caníbal
- In some mythologies, the anthropophagic rituals involve consuming human flesh to absorb the strength of the deceased.
Examples
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These accounts include his nine months as a captive among Brazil's anthropophagic Tupinamba tribe during his second voyage.
Academic text (2000) -
Reports of anthropophagic tribes in history often evoke horror and fascination in modern cultures.
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The documentary explored anthropophagic practices among certain ancient civilizations, highlighting their connections to survival and belief systems.
Synonyms
6
8.4
Describing animals or people who eat members of their own kind
Eating human flesh
A person in stories or legends who eats other people
Being very cruel and violent, like someone who eats people
Surface Forms
Morphology
anthropophagic = anthropophagy (opaque) = anthropo + phag + ic
Although etymologically transparent (anthropo- 'human' + phag- 'eat'), the combining forms and the noun 'anthropophagy' are rare and unfamiliar to most learners, so the meaning is not readily derivable.
Etymology
Anthropophagic comes from Greek parts anthropo- 'human' and -phagic 'eating', so it literally means 'human-eating' and refers to the practice of eating human flesh.