anthropomorphism

== English == === Etymology === Coined in the mid-1700s. From Ancient Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos, “man, human”) and μορφή (morphḗ, “form, shape”). By surface analysis, anthropo- +‎ -morphism. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /ˌænθɹəpəˈmɔɹfɪzəm/ === Noun === 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 entities. ==== Usage notes ==== 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 ==== dehumanization ==== Coordinate terms ==== humanization personification prosopopoeia ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== anthropomorphic anthropomorphically ==== Translations ==== === See also === zoomorphism kemonomimi nahualism === Further reading === anthropomorphism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia