-ism, -ismus

1. The absence of baptism or not having the Christian sacrament that signifies spiritual cleansing and spiritual rebirth: The fact that Gloria's son's abaptism existed when he died was of great concern to his mother.
2. A situation where there is no baptism: The frontier area was often without a pastor and so abaptism usually existed for quite awhile.

1. A belief or system of beliefs that are accepted as authoritative by some group or school of thought: Abolitionism was one of the driving elements behind the Civil War in the United States.
2. A social movement aimed at liquidating or getting rid of some law or an undesirable practice: Women led the abolitionism against the production of liquor and the operation of taverns and bars.

Abolitionisms, such as indentured workers or slave-working conditions, are often opposed with vigor.

The support or recommendation of the termination of a pregnancy: Tonya's sister, who is a doctor, supports abortionism once the client has had a medical examination and counseling.

A passion to get and to keep all kinds of small interesting and unusual objects: Julia's aunt was often involved with abrakophilism as she traveled using it as an opportunity to find more curious things, such as a piece of lava from Iceland for her hoard of unusual stones.

The habitual failure to appear or to be somewhere, especially for work or some other regular duty: The most common causes of absenteeisms include influenza and occupationally related skin diseases.

The rates of absenteeism in the work force caused the factory to reduce production.

The explanations for a number of absenteeisms varied from headaches to injuries.

Creative or cultured content that depends more on internal form rather than pictorial likeness or illustration: The student artist was told that abstractionism was simply a representation that had no particular reference to concrete objects or specific examples.

1. The idea or philosophy that humans exist in a chaotic or purposeless universe: Many people who subscribed to the belief called absurdism became disillusioned by reality later in their lives.
2. An act or instance of the ridiculous: The absurdisms which were portrayed on the stage upset the audience who expected a better production from the director and actors.

1. The teachings or concepts of Plato's Academy: The Academy of Plato, founded about 387 BC in Athens, was the place where his academicisms were taught and studied.
2. Artistry that relies on conventional techniques or emphasises the formal aspects of an art form: The school of art that Jane attended was known for its academicism in painting and poetry and there was little acceptance for imagination.

A symbiosis between plants and mites: Mrs. Green asked her students to find information regarding acarophytism, or the mutualism between any vegetation and the minute arachnids.

A condition due to the introduction into the body of acids from outside the body: Acidism pertains to a poisoning which has entered externally into a living being.

An inherited disorder that includes abnormalities of the skull, face, hands, and feet: A person's acrocephalopolysyndactylism starts with the closure of some sutures of the skull and results in a tall peaked head, shallow eye sockets, and undeveloped cheekbones.

The development of acrocephalopolysyndactylism also results in fingers and toes that are fused, and the thumbs and the big toes have overly broad ends.

In pathology, a form of gigantism and acromegaly: Acromegalogigatism is due to a hypersecretion of the pituitary growth hormone beginning before puberty and continuing into maturity. It is characterized by an enlargement of the face and extremities.