What does anthropophagi mean?
Anthropophagi is a formal, Latinate term for people who eat human flesh — in plain terms, cannibals. Borrowed from Greek roots via Latin, the word entered English in the sixteenth century and quickly became attached to travellers' tales and classical geography: ancient authors such as Herodotus located tribes of Anthropophagi in remote regions, blending reportage with legend. Its most famous appearance in English literature comes in Shakespeare's Othello, where Othello describes 'the Anthropophagi' among the wonders he has seen. Today the word survives mainly in scholarly, historical, and literary registers, carrying connotations of exoticism, savagery, and antiquarian learning rather than everyday description. For most purposes modern English simply says 'cannibals', but anthropophagi retains value for writers seeking an elevated or allusive tone, and it remains a striking reminder of how early Europeans imagined the edges of their world.
nounAnthropophagi are human beings who eat human flesh; cannibals. The term is a learned, Latinate plural used chiefly in literary, historical, and anthropological writing.
- Human beings who eat human flesh; cannibals (used as a collective or plural term).
"Medieval travellers' tales were filled with accounts of anthropophagi dwelling at the edge of the known world."
"Ancient writers placed the Anthropophagi at the far margins of the map, where fact blurred into fable."
"The explorer's journal described with horror his supposed encounter with anthropophagi along the river."
The standard form is itself plural (from Greek/Latin); the singular is 'anthropophagus'. The word functions as a plural noun in English.
"Legends spoke of anthropophagi lurking at the borders of the known world."
Shakespeare put the Anthropophagi on stage in Othello — 'men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders' — borrowing a monster myth that had stalked European imagination since Herodotus.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anthropophagi
Anthropophagi derives from Greek anthrōpos ('human being') plus phagein ('to eat'), forming anthrōpophagos, 'a man-eater'. The word passed into Latin as anthropophagus and was transmitted to English in the sixteenth century through Renaissance learning, appearing in translations of classical geographers and in Shakespeare's Othello (circa 1603). It shares its Greek roots with anthropology and, through the eating element phagein, connects to other learned compounds such as sarcophagus.
Related word forms
How anthropophagi is actually used
The word is rare, formal, and largely confined to literary, historical, or scholarly contexts; in ordinary usage 'cannibals' is preferred. It is almost always encountered in the plural form 'anthropophagi'; the singular 'anthropophagus' exists but is uncommon. Because it appears in Shakespeare's Othello, it carries a distinctly literary flavour.
Easily confused with anthropophagi
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, whereas anthropophagi denotes people who eat human flesh.
A misanthrope is someone who dislikes humankind, while an anthropophagus is literally a flesh-eater of humans.