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ancestor worship

noun

, Anthropology.
  1. (in certain societies) the veneration of ancestors whose spirits are frequently held to possess the power to influence the affairs of the living.


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Word History and Origins

Origin of ancestor worship1

First recorded in 1850–55
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Example Sentences

In China the patriarch of a nomad horde became emperor of a nation retaining ancestor worship as its chief religious system.

Sometimes, as in many African tribes, ancestor worship is almost the whole of practical cult.

Religion is mainly ancestor worship or vague spirit worship; ghosts are propitiated with food.

Among a people still practicing ancestor-worship, an epidemic of sterility would be a disaster indeed.

Ancestor worship, finally, is the worship in cult of family or tribal ancestors.

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