hierophant

[ hahy-er-uh-fant, hahy-ruh-, hahy-er-uh- ]

/ ˈhaɪ ər əˌfænt, ˈhaɪ rə-, haɪˈɛr ə- /

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noun

(in ancient Greece) an official expounder of rites of worship and sacrifice.

any interpreter of sacred mysteries or esoteric principles; mystagogue.

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Origin of hierophant

1670–80; <Late Latin hierophanta<Greek hierophántēs, equivalent to hiero-hiero- + -phántēs, derivative of phaínein to show, make known

OTHER WORDS FROM hierophant

hi·er·o·phan·tic, adjectivehi·er·o·phan·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby hierophant

hieromonk, hieron, Hieronymic, Hieronymite, Hieronymus, hierophant, hierurgy, hifalutin, hi-fi, Higashiosaka, Higashiyama

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hierophant in a sentence

The right hand is upraised and extended, being the reverse of that benediction which is given by the Hierophant in the fifth card.
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot|L. W. de Laurence
He took upon himself to become its hierophant, and to infuse much that was peculiarly his own into it.
Oscar Wilde|Leonard Cresswell Ingleby
The name of the rabbi Akiba is preserved as a type of the hierophant of restored Judaism.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03|Various
He tossed it on the table, and began searching another knocked-out hierophant.
Temple Trouble|Henry Beam Piper

Thus Moses, the perfect hierophant, had this perfect apprehension, and passed from intellectual love to holy adoration.
Philo-Judaeus of Alexandria|Norman Bentwich

British Dictionary definitions for hierophant

hierophant

/ (ˈhaɪərəˌfænt) /

noun

(in ancient Greece) an official high priest of religious mysteries, esp those of Eleusis

a person who interprets and explains esoteric mysteries

Derived forms of hierophant

hierophantic, adjectivehierophantically, adverb

Word Origin for hierophant

C17: from Late Latin hierophanta, from Greek hierophantēs, from hiero- + phainein to reveal

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