anchorite [ang-kuh-rahyt]

adjective:
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion; a hermit

Examples:

But Hardulph would not have been a hermit in the colloquial sense; he would have been an anchorite, meaning that he would have been anchored to the church and may have had disciples, Simons explained. (Lindsey ( Read more... )

ineffable [in-ef-uh-buhl]

adjective:
1 incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible
2 not to be spoken because of its sacredness; unutterable

Examples:

No unearthly agenda at all, in fact, ineffable or infernal. (Alexis Gunderson, The Ineffable Romance of Good Omens… Four Years, One Pandemic, and Two Hollywood Strikes ( Read more... )

exegesis [ek-si-jee-sis]

noun:
critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text; explication, especially of biblical and other religious texts

Examples:

This approach resulted in a more freeform 'rambling philosophical inquiry' rather than 'cinematic exegesis,' according to a statement. (Althea Legaspi, Sufjan Stevens, ( Read more... )

Jesuitical, jesuitical [jezh-oo-it-i-kuh l; jez-oo-, jez-yoo-]
adjective:
1 of or concerning the Jesuits; a member of the Society of Jesus.
2 practicing casuistry or equivocation; using subtle or oversubtle reasoning; crafty; sly; intriguing.

Examples:

It may be too clever by half, but what sense is there in criticizing a Jesuit for ( Read more... )

epiphany [ih-pif-uh-nee ]
noun:
1 capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ

2 an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3a a usually sudden ( Read more... )

man·du·ca·tion [ˈmændjʊˌkeɪʃən]:
origin: (early 1600's) Latin; mandūcāre= to chew.

noun (adjective, manducatory)
1. Obsolete word for eating (feel free to make it relevant again).

2. Religious term for receiving communion: deeper spiritual bonding through symbolic gestures like the consumption of holy wafers or blessed wine (a reminder of the ( Read more... )

christ·mas·tide [ˈkrɪsməsˌtaɪd]:
origin: (1620) English; Christmas + Tidings (as in "Good Tidings").

noun
DON'T THROW OUT THAT CHRISTMAS TREE JUST YET!!!

"The Christmas Season", which includes and extends beyond the actual holiday to just after New Years Day (often December 24 to January 6 - the baptism of Christ); the 12 days of Christmas ( Read more... )

The Latin phrase in saecula saeculorum expresses the idea of eternity and is literally translated as "unto the ages of ages ( Read more... )

crèche [KRĕsh,KRĕysh]:
origin: (1785-95) French; crib.


( Read more... )

zy·mo·lo·gy [ˈfɜːkɪn]:
origin: [1745] Greek; zymo- fermentation + -logy= study of.


( Read more... )