This week’s theme
Words made with combining forms

This week’s words
bridezilla
autolatry
allotriophagy
zoanthropy
orography

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(zo-AN-thruh-pee)

MEANING:

noun: The delusion that one is a beast.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek zoo- (animal) + -anthropy (human). Earliest documented use: 1856.

NOTES:

If you want to be more specific in your zoanthropy, here are some terms for what individual animal you believe yourself to be:
boanthropy: bovine
cervanthropy: deer
cynanthropy: dog
hippanthropy: horse
lycanthropy: wolf
(philanthropy is NOT the delusional belief that one is named Phil.)

USAGE:

“Symptoms of zoanthropy typically range from one hour to several decades. The delusions are said to be more prevalent in rural and non-industrial areas.”
Daniel Boffey; Case of Belgian Woman Who Thought She Was a Chicken Linked to Depression; The Guardian (London, UK); Jul 28, 2020.

See more usage examples of zoanthropy in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: