Word of the Day

: July 7, 2008

weltanschauung

noun, often capitalized VELT-ahn-show-ung ("ow" as in "cow")

What It Means

: a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint

weltanschauung in Context

Nadia dreads visiting her cousin, whose narrow, provincial Weltanschauung contrasts sharply with her own open-minded view of the world.

Did You Know?

The German word "Weltanschauung" literally means "world view"; it combines "Welt" ("world") with "Anschauung" ("view"), which ultimately derives from the Middle High German verb "schouwen" ("to look at" or "to see"). When we first adopted it from German in the mid-19th century, "weltanschauung" referred to a philosophical view or apprehension of the universe, and this sense is still the most widely used. It can also describe a more general ideology or philosophy of life.