animatism

[ an-uh-muh-tiz-uhm ]

noun

1. the attribution of consciousness to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.

animatism

/ ˈænɪməˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness

Word History and Origins

Origin of animatism¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; animate + -ism

Example Sentences

I think, then, that we had better distinguish this wider sense of animism by a different name, calling it "animatism," since that will serve at once to disconnect and to connect the two conceptions.

From Project Gutenberg