n.
Pronunciation: ' me-s ē - ə - ˌ ni-z ə m; m ə - ' s ī - ə -, me-
Function: noun
Etymology: French messianisme, from messie messiah + -anisme (as in christianisme Christianity)
Date: 1867
1 : belief in a messiah as the savior of humankind
2 : religious devotion to an ideal or cause