anthropomorphism
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human being”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/
Audio (US) (file)
Noun[edit]
anthropomorphism (countable and uncountable, plural anthropomorphisms)
- The attribution of human characteristics and behavior to something not human. [from mid-18th c.]
- (theology) The attribution of human characteristics to divine beings.
Usage notes[edit]
Despite the similarity in meaning, this term carries very different connotations when used in different contexts. In literature, anthropomorphism describes merely a device of fiction writing, whereas in science (particularly biology) anthropomorphism has traditionally been used pejoratively when a scientist appears to be attributing to animals characteristics that are assumed to be exclusive to human beings.
Antonyms[edit]
Coordinate terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
the attribution or ascription of human characteristics to something not human
|
See also[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- anthropomorphism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia