hermetic

Also her·met·i·cal

[hur-met-ik]

adjective

1. made airtight by fusion or sealing.

2. not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.

3. (sometimes initial capital letter),  of, relating to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.

4. (initial capital letter),  of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him.

Hermetic

¹

/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings and teachings ascribed to him

2. of or relating to ancient science, esp alchemy

3. esoteric or recondite

hermetic

²

/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /

adjective

1. sealed so as to be airtight

2. hidden or protected from the outside world

Other Word Forms

• unhermetic adjective
• hermetically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hermetic¹

1630–40; < Medieval Latin hermēticus of, pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus, equivalent to Latin Hermē ( s ) Hermes + -ticus -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of hermetic¹

see _hermetic

Origin of hermetic²

C17: from Medieval Latin hermēticus belonging to _{Hermes Trismegistus} , traditionally the inventor of a magic seal

Example Sentences

MIT is an enclave even within the hermetic world of Cambridge academia—a place where complex, bleeding-edge ideas spawn from sterile labs and filthy dorm rooms.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It was a marked contrast to Rossen’s current life, which is largely hermetic and domestic, confined to the four walls of his home.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Previous generations didn’t have the chance to taste some version of the hermetic bliss millions of us were exposed to over the past five years.

Read more on Salon

Once a place where friends and family entered through perpetually open doors, the space becomes hermetic and airless when curtains are drawn to hide the men who have come to disrupt this idyllic refuge.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Courogen, a journalist and visual content director based in New York, reached out countless times to May’s “people,” a small clutch of confidants that keep a tight lid on 92-year-old May’s hermetic world.

Read more on Los Angeles Times