# syncretism

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɪŋkɹəˌtɪzm̩/ · frequency rank #80,027

## Definitions
1. The reconciliation or fusion of different systems or beliefs (religious, cultural, or otherwise cosmologic or ontologic).
2. The fusion of different inflexional forms.

## Etymology
From Latin syncretismus, from Ancient Greek συγκρητισμός (sunkrētismós, “federation of Cretan cities”), from συγκρητίζω (sunkrētízō, “to unite against a common enemy”), from σύν (sún, “together”) (see English syn-) + Κρῆτες (Krêtes, “Cretans”). By surface analysis, syn- + Crete + -ism (“Crete joining together”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/syncretism