thanatopsis

T1H4A1N1A1T1O1P3S1I1S1
/θænəˈtɒpsɪs/

noun

Contemplation of death.

OriginAncient Greek θάνατος →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounthanatopsis (plural thanatopses)

plural thanatopses

  1. Contemplation of death.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekθάνατος“death”
  2. Englishthanatopsis

From Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”) + ὄψις (ópsis, “seeing”), via the poem "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. Although a surface analysis of thanato- + -opsis readily suggests itself and might invite a semantic expectation of deathliness, Bryant's sense of the word corresponds to "the seeing of death" rather than "the appearance/likeness of death".

More words from Ancient Greek

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Cite this entry
APA

thanatopsis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatopsis

MLA

“thanatopsis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatopsis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thanatopsis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thanatopsis.

Source: thanatopsis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.