hermetic
adjective
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Hermetic Has Origins in Greek Mythology
Hermetic derives from Greek via the Medieval Latin word hermeticus. When it first entered English in the early 17th century, hermetic was associated with writings attributed to Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. Thoth, whom the Greeks called Hermes Trismegistus ("thrice-great Hermes"), was believed to be the author of a number of mystical, philosophical, and alchemistic works. The obscure subject matter of these works may have made them difficult to wade through, for soon English speakers were also applying hermetic to things that were beyond ordinary human comprehension. Additionally, Hermes Trismegistus was said to have invented a magic seal that could keep vessels airtight. Hermetic thus came to mean "airtight," both literally and figuratively. These days, it can also sometimes mean "solitary."
Examples of hermetic in a Sentence
Noel Murray, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a hermetic kind of meditation, one in which outer havoc is kept at bay.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Once a place where friends and family entered through perpetually open doors, the space becomes hermetic and airless when curtains are drawn to hide the men who have come to disrupt this idyllic refuge.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Even when her character takes a more urgent role in this hermetic story, the excellent Garner doesn’t have much to play outside a parade of slow-roll nonverbal shots of Charlotte peering this way and that, taking charge of a rapidly dissolving situation but never really getting her due.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hermetic
Cite this Entry
“Hermetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hermetic. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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