euhemerism
/juːˈhiːməˌɹɪzəm/US/juˈhiməˌɹɪzəm/
euhemerism noun: the belief that legends and mythology arise from exaggerated descriptions of historical people and events.
Noun
euhemerism (usually uncountable, plural euhemerisms)
- The belief that legends and mythology arise from exaggerated descriptions of historical people and events.
- In regard to the Thracian god Zalmosis, the Hellespontic Greeks interpreted his character and attributes according to the scheme of Euemerism.1846, George Grote, History of Greece, volume I, page 596
- Then again there was a period of what is sometimes called Euhemerism - the theory that the gods and goddesses had actually once been men and women, historical characters round whom a halo of romance and remoteness had gathered.1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 10
- Synonyms:
- historical theory, rationalism
euhemerism meaning in Arabic
euhemerism in Arabic
- attribution of a historical origin to myths and legends
- يُوهَيْمِرِيَّة yūhaymiriyya
Synonyms of euhemerism
- historical theory
- rationalism
Forms of euhemerism
| plural | euhemerisms |
|---|---|
| alternative form | euemerism |
| alternative form | Euemerism |
| alternative form | Euhemerism |
Origin of euhemerism
From Euhemerus + -ism, ultimately from Latin Euhēmerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.
Words formed from euhemerism
Questions about euhemerism
- What does euhemerism mean?
- Euhemerism means the belief that legends and mythology arise from exaggerated descriptions of historical people and events.
- What is euhemerism in Arabic?
- Euhemerism in Arabic is يُوهَيْمِرِيَّة (yūhaymiriyya). See Euhemerism meaning in Arabic.
- What part of speech is euhemerism?
- Euhemerism is a noun.
- How do you pronounce euhemerism?
- Euhemerism is pronounced /juˈhiməˌɹɪzəm/ (US).
- What is the plural of euhemerism?
- The plural of euhemerism is euhemerisms.
Words near euhemerism in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: euhemerism (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-euhemerism.wav.
Cite this entry: “euhemerism.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/euhemerism. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.