Zoism
Pronunciation : Zo"ism
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : 1. Reverence for animal life or belief in animal powers and influences, as among savages.
2. (Biol.) A doctrine, now discarded, that the phenomena of life are due to a peculiar vital principle; the theory of vital force.
[Gr. zwh` life + -ism.]
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913