thanatopsis
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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
[edit]Noun
[edit]thanatopsis (plural thanatopses)
- Contemplation of death.
Related terms
[edit]- thanatosis; for more, see thanato- (and its derivatives)