abraxas

[ uh-brak-suhs ]

See synonyms for abraxas on Thesaurus.com

noun

a word of unknown significance found on charms, especially amulets, of the late Greco-Roman world and linked with both Gnostic beliefs and magical practices by the early church fathers.

Origin of abraxas

First recorded in 1710–20; from Greek word abráxas, abrásax, abrasáx, of obscure origin; the combined numerical value of the Greek letters is 365, an important figure in Gnosticism and numerology

Words Nearby abraxas

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abraxas in a sentence

Upon them were engraved mysterious hieroglyphs and figures, called abraxas, and they are known as Abraxoides.
Scarabs | Isaac Myer
The breeding work concerns fowls, canaries, and the Currant moth (abraxas grossulariata).
Evolution in Modern Thought | Ernst Haeckel
This condition of affairs exists not only in the moth abraxas, but also in the fowl as shown by Pearl.
The Organism as a Whole | Jacques Loeb
After midsummer, the conspicuous cream, black and yellow-spotted 'Magpie' moth (abraxas grossulariata) is common in gardens.
The Life-Story of Insects | Geo. H. Carpenter
abraxas-stones were so called from having the word abraxas or Abrasax engraved on them.
Finger-Ring Lore | William Jones

British Dictionary definitions for abraxas

abraxas

abrasax (əˈbræsəks)

/ (əˈbræksəs) /

noun

an ancient charm composed of Greek letters: originally believed to have magical powers and inscribed on amulets, etc, but from the second century ad personified by Gnostics as a deity, the source of divine emanations

Origin of abraxas

from Greek: invented word

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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