Help..

What is the term used when you give human characteristics to an inanimate object? This is driving me crazy.

Devonee Hunter

[Red5]

Anthropomorphism

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by dev_hunter

What is the term used when you give human characteristics to an inanimate object? This is driving me crazy.

Devonee Hunter

an'thro'po'mor'phize (verb)
an'thro'po'mor'phism (noun)

From Greek 'anthropos', meaning man and
'morphe', meaning, form; to give human form (i.e. characteristics) to non-humans: gods, objects, plants, animals.

Cas :D

[Tdol]

It can also be written with an 's':
an'thro'po'mor'phise (verb)

In BE, we use both 'z' and 's'.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

an'thro'po'mor'phize (verb)
an'thro'po'mor'phism (noun)

From Greek 'anthropos', meaning man and
'morphe', meaning, form; to give human form (i.e. characteristics) to non-humans: gods, objects, plants, animals.

Cas :D

Gee, I'm glad if I can just remember the word.

:wink:

[Casiopea]

RonBee:

Gee, I'm glad if I can just remember the word.
:wink:

When I was studying primatology, way back whenever, the term anthropomorphise, also spelled with a -z- in BE and Canadian English, was beaten into our brains, much like the Literature profs were beheading us with the term Humankind, but I digress.

Primatologists get all ape-like when they hear people at the Zoo say, "Look! The monkey's smiling!" So, it was either learn the term or hide our banana, which, being students, was the only food we could afford. :D

Cas :D