hermetic
[hur-met-ik]
- 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.
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Also her·met·i·cal.
Origin of hermetic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hermetical
Historical Examples
Now, however, the sealing of the South was all but hermetical.
Abraham Lincoln, Vol. IIJohn T. Morse
Others were making their entrance upon the great work, after the hermetical method.
The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo VillegasDom Francisco de Quevedo
His measure of usefulness became full in 1798 when the hermetical seal of death closed his bright career.
Sages and Heroes of the American RevolutionL. Carroll Judson
A sect of hermetical philosophers, founded in the fifteenth century, who were engaged in the study of abstruse sciences.
The Symbolism of FreemasonryAlbert G. Mackey
hermetic
hermetical
- sealed so as to be airtight
- hidden or protected from the outside world
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Word Origin
C17: from Medieval Latin hermēticus belonging to Hermes Trismegistus, traditionally the inventor of a magic seal
Hermetic
- 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
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Word Origin
see hermetic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for hermetical
hermetic
adj.
c.1600 (implied in hermetically), "completely sealed," also (1630s) "dealing with occult science or alchemy," from Latin hermeticus, from Greek Hermes, god of science and art, among other things, identified by Neoplatonists, mystics, and alchemists with the Egyptian god Thoth as Hermes Trismegistos "Thrice-Great Hermes," who supposedly invented the process of making a glass tube airtight (a process in alchemy) using a secret seal.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
hermetic
(hər-mĕt′ĭk)- Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.