mysticism
/ˈmɪs.tɪˌsɪz.əm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.07 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A doctrine of direct communication or spiritual intuition of divine truth.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "In the history of Christian mysticism the problem how to discriminate between such messages and experiences as were really divine miracles, and such others as the demon in his malice was able to counterfeit, thus making the religious person twofold more the child of hell he was before, has always been a difficult one to solve, needing all the sagacity and experience of the best directors of conscience."
Etymology
From mystic + -ism, from Old French mistique (“mysterious, full of mystery”), from Latin mysticus (“mystical, mystic, of secret rites”), from Ancient Greek μυστικός (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from μύστης (mústēs, “one who has been initiated, initiate”) from μῡ́ω (mū́ō, “to close one's lips or eyes; initiate into the mysteries”). Compare Asturian misticismu, Catalan misticisme, French mysticisme, German Mystizismus, Italian misticismo, Portuguese misticismo, Sicilian misticisimu, Spanish misticismo.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: mistique, mysticus, μυστικός
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmɪs.tɪˌsɪz.əm/
- British English: /ˈmɪs.tɪˌsɪz.əm/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Religion.