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.

Related terms

• thanatosis; for more, see thanato- (and its derivatives)