Why this word is great
MANISM — [Noun] The worship of the spirits of deceased ancestors. From Latin mānēs ("spirits of the ancestors") + English -ism ("doctrine or practice"). Unlike "ancestor worship" (a broader term for honoring forebears) or "animism" (which imbues rivers and rocks with life), manism is the precise veneration of the departed as lingering, watchful shades. It is the incense lit at a family altar, the whispered plea to a grandfather’s ghost for guidance, the untouched plate set at the table—small acts of communion with those who are gone but not departed, a testament to the human refusal to let even death sever the bonds of love.