syncretism

****************************************************************
Are you getting a glimpse of spring or taking a glance? Settle
disputes with Merriam-Webster's Concise Dictionary of English Usage.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/book.pl?conusg.htm&6/
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for April 25 is:

syncretism   \SING-kruh-tiz-um\   noun
    *1 : the combination of different forms of belief or practice
     2 : the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms

Example sentence:
     Taoism is a syncretism of Buddhism, with its emphasis on meditation, and 
Confucianism, which emphasizes knowledge and reason.

Did you know?
     The ancient Greeks mainly used the term "synkretismos" to describe the 
joining together of Greeks in opposition to a common enemy. In the early 17th 
century, English speakers adopted the term in the anglicized form "syncretism" 
to refer to the union of different religious beliefs. Three centuries later, 
lexicographers of the 1909 edition of _Webster's New International Dictionary 
of the English Language_ added a new definition of "syncretism" ("the union or 
fusion into one or two or more originally different inflectional forms, as of 
two cases"), but this specialized sense is rarely encountered outside of the 
field of linguistics. Some related terms that you might encounter are 
"syncretize" ("to attempt to unite and harmonize"), "syncretist" ("one who 
advocates syncretism"), and "syncretic" and "syncretistic" ("characterized or 
brought about by syncretism").

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. 





You Are Subscribed As: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe, change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2006 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102

*mf mwt 042506 GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx mf*

---
You are currently subscribed to mw-text as: GCLW-MW-WOD7@xxxxxxxxx
To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
leave-mw-text-979910Y@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx