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Man·i·chae·ism

(măn′ĭ-kēĭz′əm) also Man·i·chae·an·ism (-kēə-nĭz′əm)

1. The syncretic, dualistic religious philosophy taught by the Persian prophet Mani, combining elements of Zoroastrian, Christian, and Gnostic thought and opposed by the imperial Roman government, Neoplatonist philosophers, and orthodox Christians.

2. A dualistic philosophy dividing the world between good and evil principles or regarding matter as intrinsically evil and mind as intrinsically good.

[From Late Latin Manichaeus, Manichaean, from Late Greek Manikhaios, from Manikhaios, Mani.]

Man·i·chae·an (măn′ĭ-kēən) n. & adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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