/ ˈsɪŋkrətɪzəm; NAmE / noun [ U ]
1.
( technical ) the mixing of different religions, philosophies or ideas
2.
( linguistics ) the mixing of different forms of the same word during the development of a language
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from modern Latin syncretismus , from Greek sunkrētismos , from sunkrētizein unite against a third party, from sun- together + krēs Cretan (originally with reference to ancient Cretan communities).