Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thanatopsis

/θænəˈtɒpsɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.01 in modern English

Syllables
thanatop-sis
IPA
/θænəˈtɒpsɪs/
16
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Contemplation of death.

Etymology

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".

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

thanatopses (plural)

Phrases

for more thanato-

Frequently Paired Words

thanatosis for more thanato-

Questions

How do you pronounce thanatopsis?
The recorded pronunciation is /θænəˈtɒpsɪs/.
What does thanatopsis mean?
Contemplation of death.
Where does thanatopsis come from?
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".

How to pronounce thanatopsis

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “thanatopsis”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/θænəˈtɒpsɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “thanatopsis”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “thanatopsis” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.