hermetic

adjective her·met·ic \ (ˌ)hər-ˈme-tik \

variants: or less commonly hermetical play \(ˌ)hər-ˈme-ti-kəl\

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of hermetic

1 often capitalized

a : of or relating to the mystical and alchemical writings or teachings arising in the first three centuries a.d. and attributed to Hermes Trismegistus

b : relating to or characterized by subjects that are mysterious and difficult to understand : relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness : recondite

a hermetic discussion

[from the belief that Hermes Trismegistus invented a magic seal to keep vessels airtight]

a : airtight

hermetic seal

b : impervious to external influence

trapped inside the hermetic military machine
—Jack Newfield

c : recluse, solitary

leads a hermetic life

—

hermetically

play \(ˌ)hər-ˈme-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of hermetic in a Sentence

wrote hermetic poetry whose sole intended readership was himself

Recent Examples of hermetic from the Web

Their terminus point is Flushing, N.Y., different from the traditional touristic Chinatown as a strictly functional community but, in its hermetic self-containment, a creature of the same forces.

— stephen phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Patriot Number One: American Dreams in Chinatown,’ by Lauren Hilgers," 29 Mar. 2018
Pence agreed, but members of the North Korean delegation — which included the North Korean hermetic leader’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong — backed out at the last minute.

— aamer madhani, USA TODAY, "Ivanka Trump ready to 'cheer' at Olympics. Is she ready to chat with North Korea, too?," 23 Feb. 2018
With his love of nature and hermetic life, Hagerman belongs to a venerable American tradition that goes back to Henry David Thoreau, who was also a media-phobe and complained about the news.

— jeet heer, The New Republic, "The Delusions of Trump-Era Escapism," 19 Mar. 2018
Comparisons to Alex Garland’s Ex Machina are inevitable: both feature predatory men holding women hostage in hermetic, high-tech, gorgeously sterile homes, with other women standing by as implacable assistants.

— tasha robinson, The Verge, "Elizabeth Harvest is a high-tech, twist-packed take on the Bluebeard myth," 17 Mar. 2018
Her language became intensely hermetic but remained nonetheless seductively accessible.

— carol muske-dukes, latimes.com, "Stay, illusion: a tribute to Lucie Brock-Broido by Carol Muske-Dukes," 8 Mar. 2018
Many scholars believe that the scrolls were produced by an ascetic group known as the Essenes, who withdrew to a hermetic lifestyle in protest over the way the Second Temple in Jerusalem was being run.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Scholars Decipher One of the Last Encrypted Dead Sea Scrolls," 23 Jan. 2018
In the hermetic kingdom of the dining room, the host is at once benefactor and dictator.

— ligaya mishan, New York Times, "Mastering the Art of the Tense Dinner Party," 1 Mar. 2018
President Moon Jae-in office lavished attention upon the hermetic leader’s sister through their stay in the South over the first few days of the Games.

— david jackson, Indianapolis Star, "White House: North Korea canceled planned meeting with Vice President Mike Pence," 20 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hermetic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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."

Origin and Etymology of hermetic

Medieval Latin hermeticus, from Hermet-, Hermes Trismegistus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1605

See Words from the same year

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

HERMETIC Defined for English Language Learners

hermetic

adjective

Definition of hermetic for English Language Learners

: closed tightly so that no air can go in or out

Medical Dictionary

hermetic

adjective her·met·ic \ (ˌ)hər-ˈmet-ik \

medical Definition of hermetic

: being airtight or impervious to air

—

hermetically

play \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

Biographical Note for hermetic

Her*mes Tris*me*gis*tus play \ˈhər-(ˌ)mēz-ˌtris-mə-ˈjis-təs\ Greek mythological character. Hermes Trismegistus was identified by the Greeks with the Egyptian god Thoth. To him was ascribed authorship of various works on astrology, magic, alchemy, and medicine. It was also believed that he had invented a magic seal to keep vessels airtight, and from his name the adjective hermetic meaning airtight was derived.