Syncretism

Syncretism

ˈsiNGkrəˌtizəm

Noun

  • The amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
  • (Linguistics) The merging of different inflectional varieties of a word during the development of a language.

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Example Sentences

“The food festival displayed the syncretism of the city’s Jamaican and French heritages.”

“Her research paper explored the syncretism of the English language in different countries.”

“After several multicultural community events, there was an attitude of syncretism developing in the neighborhood.”

Word Origin

Greek, early 17th century

Why this word?

Syncretism (from the Greek word “sunkrētismos,” meaning “to unite against a third-party”) is the  merging of different worlds, often referring to various cultures, religions, or schools of thought. If you’ve ever enjoyed a sushi burrito or fantasized about a particularly delicious banh mi, you have familiarity with syncretism in the culinary world. Fusion foods combine flavors and ingredients from different cultures into one dish. Banh mi, for example, are delicious Vietnamese sandwiches created using French baguettes and traditional Vietnamese ingredients.

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