thanatopsis

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”) + ὄψις (ópsis, “seeing”), via the poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. Although a surface analysis of thanato- +‎ -opsis readily suggests itself and might invite a semantic expectation of deathliness, Bryant's sense of the word corresponds to "the seeing of death" rather than "the appearance/likeness of death".

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /θænəˈtɒpsɪs/

Noun

thanatopsis (plural thanatopses)

  1. Contemplation of death.
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