gnostic

[nos-tik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gnostic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also gnos·ti·cal.

pertaining to knowledge.

possessing knowledge, especially esoteric knowledge of spiritual matters.

(initial capital letter) pertaining to or characteristic of the Gnostics.

noun

(initial capital letter) a member of any of certain sects among the early Christians who claimed to have superior knowledge of spiritual matters, and explained the world as created by powers or agencies arising as emanations from the Godhead.

Origin of gnostic

1555–65; < Late Latin Gnōsticī (plural) name of the sect < Greek gnōstikós (singular) pertaining to knowledge, equivalent to gnōst(ós) known + -ikos -ic

Related formsgnos·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·gnos·tic, adjective, nounan·ti·gnos·ti·cal, adjectiveun·gnos·tic, adjective

-gnostic

a combination of -gnosis and -ic, used to form adjectives from stems ending in -gnosis: prognostic.

Origin of -gnostic

< Medieval Latin -gnōsticus < Greek gnōstikós pertaining to knowledge

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

Related Words for gnostic

knowing, penetrating, wise, intuitive, incisive, observant, knowledgeable, discerning, discreet, astute, insightful, piercing, perceptive, acute, awake, aware, brainy, conscious, judicious, keen

Examples from the Web for gnostic

Contemporary Examples of gnostic

We also have the Gnostic Gospels, discovered in 1947 and adding a wealth of insights into early Christian thinking.
Who Was Jesus, Anyway?
Jay Parini
December 1, 2013

Historical Examples of gnostic

The spread and influence of the Gnostic sects was notoriously wide.
The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria
Morris Jastrow
Omnia subito is not its device, but that of the Gnostic heresy.
Christianity and Greek Philosophy
Benjamin Franklin Cocker
He who is conversant with all kinds of wisdom will be pre-eminently a Gnostic.
Esoteric Christianity, or The Lesser Mysteries
Annie Besant
Similarly the g in gnostic, the e in eulogy, p in pneumonia, the h in chromatic.
Orthography
Elmer W. Cavins
M. Papus speaks of him as the founder and patriarch of the Gnostic Church.
Devil-Worship in France
Arthur Edward Waite

British Dictionary definitions for gnostic

gnostic

gnostical

adjective

of, relating to, or possessing knowledge, esp esoteric spiritual knowledge

Derived Formsgnostically, adverb

Gnostic

noun

an adherent of Gnosticism

adjective

of or relating to Gnostics or to Gnosticism

Word Origin for Gnostic

C16: from Late Latin Gnosticī the Gnostics, from Greek gnōstikos relating to knowledge, from gnōstos known, from gignōskein to know

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 gnostic

Gnostic

1580s, "believer in a mystical religious doctrine of spiritual knowledge," from Late Latin Gnosticus, from Late Greek Gnostikos, noun use of adj. gnostikos "knowing, able to discern," from gnostos "knowable," from gignoskein "to learn, to come to know" (see know). Applied to various early Christian sects that claimed direct personal knowledge beyond the Gospel or the Church hierarchy.

adj.

"relating to knowledge," 1650s, from Greek gnostikos "knowing, able to discern," from gnostos "known, perceived, understood," from gignoskein "to learn, to come to know" (see know).