Manichaeism
English · Thesaurus
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Manichaeism
- /mænɪˈkiːɪz(ə)m/
- /ˈmænɪkiːɪz(ə)m/
Where it comes from
From Latin Manichaismus, from Koine Greek Μανιχαϊσμός (Manikhaïsmós), from Μανιχαῖος (Manikhaîos, “Manichaeus”) [from Classical Syriac ܡܐܢܝ ܚܝܐ (Mānī ḥayyā, “Living Mani”), from ܡܐܢܝ (Mānī, “Mani”, the name of its founder) + ܚܝܐ (ḥayyā, “living, alive”)] + -ισμός (-ismós). By surface analysis, Manichaeus + -ism.
Although Manichaeism is the most widespread spelling in English, it is a hypercorrection. The expected derivation from Koine Greek Μανιχαϊσμός (Manikhaïsmós) and Latin Manichaismus is Manichaism (compare with Judaism, from Ancient Greek Ἰουδαϊσμός (Ioudaïsmós), or with archaism, from Ancient Greek ἀρχαϊσμός (arkhaïsmós)).
proper noun Manichaism · Manicheism · Manichæism
- A syncretic, dualistic religion that combines elements of Zoroastrian, Christian, and Gnostic thought, founded by the Iranian prophet Mani in the 3rd century AD.
- A dualistic philosophy dividing the world between good and evil principles, or regarding matter as intrinsically evil and mind as intrinsically good. In Manichaeism, as Benny Goodman used to sing, it's “Gotta Be This or That.” One thing or the other will triumph, in this dualistic view, and the winner is supposed to be determined in an apocalyptic struggle involving a world conflagration.
Similar: Manichaeanism, Manicheanism
Thesaurus
proper noun
Similar: Manichaeanism, Manicheanism
Translations
Every language
name religion
| Español | maniqueísmo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 마니교 manigyo |
| 日本語 | マニ教, 摩尼教 Manikyō |
| 中文 | 摩尼教 móníjiào, 明教 míngjiào |
| Português | maniqueísmo |
| Français | manichéisme, manichaïsme |
| Deutsch | Manichäismus |
| Italiano | manicheismo |
| Ελληνικά | μανιχαϊσμός manichaïsmós |
| Română | maniheism |
| Русский | манихеизм manixeizm, манихейство manixejstvo |
| Tiếng Việt | Ma Ni giáo, Mani giáo |
| العربية | مَانَوِيَّة mānawiyya |
name philosophy
| 中文 | 摩尼教 móníjiào |
|---|
Talk about this word "Manichaeism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/manichaeism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Manichaeism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/manichaeism "Manichaeism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/manichaeism.Cite this
@misc{manichaeism_2026,
title = {Manichaeism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/manichaeism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
