hermetic
adjective
made airtight by fusion or sealing.
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hermetic
American
[hur-met-ik]
/ hɜrˈmɛt ɪk /
Also
hermetical
adjective
-
made airtight by fusion or sealing.
-
not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.
-
(initial capital letter) of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him.
Hermetic
1
British
/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /
adjective
-
of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings and teachings ascribed to him
-
of or relating to ancient science, esp alchemy
-
esoteric or recondite
hermetic
2
British
/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /
adjective
-
sealed so as to be airtight
-
hidden or protected from the outside world
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hermetic
1630–40; < Medieval Latin hermēticus of, pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus, equivalent to Latin Hermē ( s ) Hermes + -ticus -tic
Explanation
If you want to keep cookies crisp for a long time, store them in a jar with a hermetic, or airtight, seal. Hermetic means sealed so that no air can get in. The word can be used metaphorically as well. A child who is completely protected from the outside world might be said to come from a hermetic environment. The word comes from the name of the Greek god, Hermes Trismegistus, who was a magician and alchemist and was credited with creating the process for making a completely airtight glass tube, a god-like feat if there ever was one.
Vocabulary lists containing hermetic
100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "G" and "H"
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"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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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.
He read about the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the 19th-century occult group that counted Crowley, W.B.
From New York Times • Sep. 26, 2018
On top of the history of jewelry, he has studied alchemy, the Hermetic sciences, and medieval astrology.
From The New Yorker • Jun. 7, 2016
Though her fellow historians view Yates’ 1964 book Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition as her greatest achievement, it is Yates’ book on memory that has proved to be her most popular work by far.
From Slate • Nov. 23, 2015
Nonetheless, it does locate some legitimate and poignant correspondences between modern positive thinking and ancient Hermetic philosophy.
From Time • Oct. 24, 2013
Well, I never imagined that Nemu-Pha would unlock the Hermetic wisdom to me.
From The Tour A Story of Ancient Egypt by Couperus, Louis
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.
