Meanings
nounElginism (uncountable)
- uncountableCultural vandalism.
- uncountableAssembly of artifacts from other countries in imperial capitals.
Origin
From Elgin + -ism, coined to describe the actions of the type carried out by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, with the Parthenon Sculptures in Athens.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French elginisme
- elginismecultural vandalism
Spanish elginismo
- elginismocultural vandalism
Cite this entry
APA
Elginism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elginism
MLA
“Elginism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elginism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Elginism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Elginism.
Source: Elginism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.