syncretism
/ˈsɪŋkɹəˌtɪzm̩/ noun
Forms syncretisms
- noun (chiefly religion) The reconciliation or fusion of different systems or beliefs (religious, cultural, or otherwise cosmologic or ontologic).
- noun (linguistics) The fusion of different inflexional forms.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin syncretismus, 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-) + Κρῆτες (Krêtes, “Cretans”). By surface analysis, syn- + Crete + -ism (“Crete joining together”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Attempted union of principles or parties irreconcilably at variance with each other.
Etymology [Gr. syncrétisme.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “syncretism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details