Hesychast

[hes-i-kast]

noun

1. one of a sect of mystics that originated in the 14th century among the monks on Mt. Athos, Greece.

Hesychast

/ ˈhɛsɪˌkæst /

noun

1. Greek Orthodox Church a member of a school of mysticism developed by the monks of Mount Athos in the 14th century

Other Word Forms

• Hesychastic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hesychast¹

1825–35; < Medieval Latin hesychasta < Greek hēsychastḗs a recluse, equivalent to hēsycház ( ein ) to be quiet, be still (verbal derivative of hḗsychos quiet, still) + -tēs agent suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hesychast¹

Cl8: from Medieval Latin hesychasta mystic, from Greek hēsukhastēs, from hēsukhazein to be tranquil, from hēsukhos quiet

Example Sentences

We are introduced to the Oriati Mbo, an ancient confederation the Masquerade finds impossible to consume; the history of Baru’s mentor, Itinerant, and his rivalry with Hesychast, his equal and opposite cryptarch; Tau-indi, a third-gender Prince of the Oriati Mbo, and their obligation toward their estranged friend, the would-be revolutionary Abdumasi Abd.

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“Monster” is built of splintering oppositions, between the conflicted hemispheres of Baru’s brain and the tactics of Itinerant and Hesychast, and between the core values of the Masquerade and the Oriati Mbo.

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Among the words young participants were asked to conquer: “auteur,” “cinerarium” and “hesychast.”

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It may be mentioned that in the time of Justinian the word hesychast was applied to monks in general simply as descriptive of the quiet and contemplative character of their pursuits.

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The contemporary historians Cantacuzenus and Nicephorus Gregoras deal very copiously with this subject, taking the Hesychast and Barlaamite sides respectively.

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