extramundane
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of extramundane
First recorded in 1655–65, from Late Latin extrāmundānus “beyond the world”; see extra-, mundane
Explanation
Anything extramundane exists beyond the everyday, physical world. Fairies, ghosts, miracles, and ESP are all extramundane. Despite what it sounds like, extramundane isn't a way to describe something that's super boring! The word's Latin roots are extra, "outside," and mundus, "world," so it's perfect for talking about otherworldly phenomena. Over half of the people in Iceland, for example, believe in the existence of extramundane "hidden people" who are said to live parallel lives, unseen by humans. Things that can't be explained or documented within the material world are extramundane.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jaime Maussan, Mexico’s leading chronicler of UFO sightings and other supernatural events allowed that southern Tamaulipas was a hotbed of extramundane activity, but said he and his team of researchers were previously unaware of Amupac.
From The Guardian • Jul. 17, 2020
He said his goal was to find extramundane metaphors to depict the emotional roller coaster involved in 21st century dating.
From Reuters • Jan. 14, 2015
For lack of precise facts, some guessers have placed life, with meteors, sunshine, starshine and cosmic rays, as an extramundane intrusion.
From Time Magazine Archive
The Evangelical party has remained down to the present day non-political, and in its own estimation extramundane, taking part in the affairs of the nation only when some religious object was directly in view.
From Cowper by Smith, Goldwin
I was packin' a couple of black eyes, the particulars of which is extramundane to this case, an' the barkeep, defendant here's alleged brother, asked certain pertinent an' unmitigated questions concernin' the aforesaid black eyes.
From Prairie Flowers by Hendryx, James B. (James Beardsley)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
