abraxas

[uh-brak-suh s]

SEE MORE 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

From the Greek word abráxas, abrasáx, of obscure origin; the combined numerical value of the Gk letters is 365, an important figure in numerology

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for abraxas

abracadabra, access, key, password, watchword, keyword, opener, paternoster

Examples from the Web for abraxas

Historical Examples of abraxas

In this connexion the name Abraxas and the Abraxas gems must be remembered.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3
Various
Abraxas-stones were so called from having the word Abraxas or Abrasax engraved on them.
Finger-Ring Lore
William Jones
Abraxas stones, stones with cabalistic figures on them used as talismans.
The Nuttall Encyclopaedia
Edited by Rev. James Wood
To the abraxas succeeded the talismans, which were of the highest estimation in the East.
Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions.
Frank Cowan
Not all abraxas stones, however, are of gnostic origin, just as the name of abraxas cannot be applied to all gnostic stones.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 1
Various

British Dictionary definitions for abraxas

abraxas

abrasax (əˈbræsəks)

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

Word Origin for 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

Word Origin and History for abraxas

Cabalistic word, 1738, of uncertain origin.