Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

syncretism

Syllabification: (syn·cre·tism)
Pronunciation: /ˈsiNGkrəˌtizəm/

Definition of syncretism

noun

  • 1the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
  • 2 Linguistics the merging of different inflectional varieties of a word during the development of a language.

Derivatives

syncretic

Pronunciation: /siNGˈkretik/

adjective

syncretist

noun & adjective

syncretistic

Pronunciation: /ˌsiNGkrəˈtistik/

adjective

Origin:

early 17th century: from modern Latin syncretismus, from Greek sunkrētismos, from sunkrētizein 'unite against a third party', from sun- 'together' + krēs 'Cretan' (originally with reference to ancient Cretan communities)

syncretism in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of syncretism in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

synodic

/ sɪˈnɒdɪk /
adjective
relating to or involving the conjunction of celestial objects …