BharatNotes Syncretism
noun (the adjectival forms are "syncretic" / "syncretistic"; the verb is "syncretise")Usage in a UPSC answer
India's enduring civilisational genius lies in its syncretism: the Bhakti and Sufi movements wove together Hindu and Islamic devotional idioms, forging a composite culture that the framers of the Constitution later enshrined as the bedrock of secular nationhood.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
syncretic (adj), syncretistic (adj), syncretise (v), syncretist (n), syncretised (adj)
Root
Greek syn = together; Kretes = Cretans; synkretismos = federation of Cretan cities; via Latin syncretismus
Etymology
From Latin syncretismus, derived from Ancient Greek synkretismos (συγκρητισμός, "federation of Cretan cities"), from syn (σύν, "together") + Kretes (Κρῆτες, "Cretans"); adopted into English in the early 17th century to describe the union of different religious beliefs.
Memory Hook
Think "SYN- (together) + CRETE": the quarrelsome Cretans would SYNc up and unite against a common foe — so syncretism is the merging of opposing beliefs into one.
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