Definition of "animism" []

• The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena. (noun)
• The belief in the existence of spiritual beings that are separable or separate from bodies. (noun)
• The hypothesis holding that an immaterial force animates the universe. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Today the term animism has fallen into disuse among serious scholars of religion although it is still retained by some MISSIOLOGISTS."
• "«The ultimate source of the term animism is the Latin word, anima, meaning spirit, soul, or life force."
• "They were not just priests, as is a common misconception, but would have fallen into the class of bards, judges, teachers, etc … According to the Roman, Pliny the Elder, the Druids believed in animism (the belief that animals have souls) and reincarnation."