Thanatopsis - noun.

Today's word, just in ahead of Halloween, is thanatopsis, which means

It's a combination of two Greek words, thanat(o) meaning death and opsis meaning sight or appearance. Thanatopsis is a view, contemplation or description of death. The most famous thanatopsis is a poem--hehe--of the same name by William Cullen Bryant.

aegis [ee-jis]

noun:
1 (classical mythology) the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena, bearing at its center the head of the Gorgon
2 protection, support
3 under the imperial aegis
4 sponsorship, auspices

Examples:

The International Dota 2 tournament is set up to be an incredible match between the two very best teams in the world ( Read more... )

peripatetic [per-uh-puh-tet-ik]

adjective:
1 of, relating to, or given to walking
2 moving or traveling from place to place; itinerant
noun:
1 a person who walks or travels about
2 (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school

Examples:

When he pulls up at Lark Hall, a ramshackle seaside house that has been turned into a ( Read more... )

phantasmagoria [fan-taz-muh-gawr-ee-uh, -gohr-]

noun:
1 having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination
2 having the appearance of an optical illusion, especially one produced by a magic lantern
3 changing or shifting, as a scene made up of many elements

Examples:

Witness the number ' ( Read more... )

atavistic [at-uh-vis-tik]

adjective:
reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type.

Examples:

As I see it, the real pleasure of the taxi whistle is its outmodedness; the core of its charm is atavistic. In a world where virtually everything we do is mediated by technology, taxi-whistling is old-fashioned ( Read more... )

chthonian [thoh-nee-uhn]

adjective:
(classical mythology) of or relating to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth; of or relating to the underworld

Examples:

This terrestrial approach is almost alchemical and emphasized by the exhibition's title hermetic aspect: 'Sonde d'arc-en-taupe' mentions two complementary ( Read more... )

orphic [awr-fik]

adjective:
1 of or relating to Orpheus or the rites or doctrines ascribed to him
2 mystical or occult; fascinating, entrancing

Examples:

Their extreme difficulty, combined with an initially limited availability in print, led readers to construe Pound's mind as the unapproachable source of an orphic craft. (Kathryn Winner ( Read more... )

esoteric [es-uh-ter-ik]

adjective:
1 intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialized knowledge or interests;
2 not known by or suitable for the public; private

Examples:

The Mayan Revival campus painted in Southwestern shades of clay, cream and sage was built in 1935 by the celebrated author and esoteric ( Read more... )

acolyte [ak-uh-lahyt]

noun:
1 a person who assists the celebrant in the performance of liturgical rites
2 a devoted follower or attendant.

Examples:

The updated canon will say, "Laity who possess the age and qualifications established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the prescribed ( Read more... )

pandemonium [pan-duh-moh-nee-uhm]

noun:
1 wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos.
2 a place or scene of riotous uproar or utter chaos.

Examples:

Those photos of Cassidy hoisting the Stanley Cup say it all: The Golden Knights’ third coach led Las Vegas’ NHL team to the promised land, fulfilling the prophecy and sending ( Read more... )