noun
syncretism
Syncretism (noun) means the blending together of different beliefs or systems, such as religious or cultural ones, into one.
noun
1
The blending together of different beliefs or systems, such as religious or cultural ones, into one.
"Kraft's functional view of Anthropology eventually leads to syncretism because God is understood as working within a modern, humanistic paradigm."
— Gailyn Van Rheenen, 1: Syncretism and Contextualization: The Church on a Journey Defining Itself (2006)
"The strategies of religious syncretism—the active transformation through renegotiation, reorganization, and redefinition of clashing belief systems—are consistent with the creolization process."
— Marguerite Fernández Olmos, Creole Religions of the Caribbean (2010)
2
The merging of separate grammatical word-endings into a single form.
"In this chapter, I will investigate whether they deserve this name by looking at syncretisms between clusivity and other person markers."
— Michael Cysouw, Chapter 3: Syncretisms involving clusivity (2005)
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Etymology
Comes from Latin syncretismus, which came from Ancient Greek συγκρητισμός (sunkrētismós, "federation of Cretan cities"), from συγκρητίζω (sunkrētízō, "to unite against a common enemy"), from σύν (sún, "together") (see English syn-) plus Κρῆτες (Krêtes, "Cretans"). On the surface it looks like syn- + Crete + -ism ("Crete joining together").
Rhymes for syncretism
See all rhymes for syncretism →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of syncretism?
"syncretism" (noun) means the blending together of different beliefs or systems, such as religious or cultural ones, into one.
What are the different meanings of syncretism?
"syncretism" has 2 main meanings: 1. The blending together of different beliefs or systems, such as religious or cultural ones, into one; 2. The merging of separate grammatical word-endings into a single form.
