theriolatry

Etymology

From therio- + -latry.

theriolatry means the worship of wild animals. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “theriolatry” is a great word

THERIOLATRY — [Noun] The worship of wild animals as gods or divine manifestations. From therio- (from Ancient Greek θηρίον (thēríon, "wild beast")) + -latry (from Ancient Greek -λατρία (-latría, "worship")). Unlike zoolatry, which placidly encompasses the barnyard and the pet, or theriomorphism, a theological abstraction of animal form, theriolatry is the raw, practiced reverence for the untamed creature itself. It is the hushed offering left where a wolf’s prints vanish into the forest, the supplication before a coiled serpent in a sun-baked temple, and the bone-deep awe for the panther whose eyes flash in the sacred grove—a primal recognition of a sovereignty more ancient and absolute than any king’s, an acknowledgement that the true gods have never required the shape of men.

noun

The worship of wild animals.