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animatism

American  
[an-uh-muh-tiz-uhm] / ˈæn ə məˌtɪz əm /

noun

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

animatism British  
/ ˈænɪməˌtɪzəm /

noun

  1. the belief that inanimate objects have consciousness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of animatism

First recorded in 1895–1900; animate + -ism

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.