occult

1 of 3

verb

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-
occulted; occulting; occults

transitive verb

: to shut off from view or exposure : cover, eclipse
the light of a star that was about to be occulted … by Uranus itselfJonathan Eberhart
occulter noun

occult

2 of 3

adjective

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-;
ˈä-ˌkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
1
: not revealed : secret
deep subterranean occult jealousyJ. C. Powys
2
: not easily apprehended or understood : abstruse, mysterious
occult matters like nuclear physics, radiation effects and the designing of rocketsRobert Bendiner
3
: hidden from view : concealed
occult underground passages
4
: of or relating to the occult
… the occult arts—astrology, palmistry, card reading …Amy Fine Collins
occult practices
5
: not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone
occult carcinoma
also : not present in macroscopic amounts
occult blood in a stool
occultly adverb

occult

3 of 3

noun

oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-;
ˈä-ˌkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
: matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers or some secret knowledge of them
used with the

Example Sentences

Verb occulted their house from prying eyes by planting large trees around it the actor's private life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona Adjective occult practices such as magic and fortune-telling He began to believe he had occult powers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But just a few hours earlier, late on Wednesday night, the nearly Full Moon will occult Mars for skywatchers in most of the U.S. Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 7 Dec. 2022 The waning crescent Moon—just 9%-lit—will occult the planet Venus, but only for those in Madagascar. Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 May 2022 During a full transit, which would last a few minutes, an Earth-size planet would occult the entire white dwarf. Avi Loeb, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2020 In July, 2017, the object occulted a star, and telescopes observed its tiny shadow passing across the star. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 7 Nov. 2017 And for some lucky sky-watchers in eastern Brazil and in central and southern Africa, the moon will occult the star. National Geographic, 1 May 2017
Adjective
Speaking of infernal-sounding, pay close attention around the 4:30 mark here, and witness the occult-metal mastery of Mercyful Fate riffsmith Hank Shermann, abetted by his trusty partner Michael Denner. Hank Shteamer, SPIN, 24 Jan. 2023 It’s a determinedly non-jokey supernatural thriller in which a group of Adelaide teens get in way over their heads playing an occult party game. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 22 Jan. 2023 Other screening options include annual fecal occult blood tests which look for blood in the stool. Janelle Chavez, CNN, 19 Jan. 2023 Even Robert Duvall makes an appearance at age 91 as an academic consulted by Gus Landor to shed light on the occult overtones to the murder. Scott Phillips, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023 This type of occult logic just makes sense to children. Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2023 The witches focused on the World Cup represent a wide variety of occult disciplines, more New Age than ancient and Indigenous. Ana Lankes, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2022 Yet the dreams of this obsessively solitary man overflow with spectacles and horrors and occult visions. Sam Sacks, WSJ, 16 Dec. 2022 Curioporium, the occult curiosity shop at 1429 Park Road in Hartford, will host three guests on Dec. 16 to 18. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 1 Dec. 2022
Noun
Teensy is a powerful storyteller in the fantasy genre, well-known for integrating nativist mythology and occult legend into stories of the modern, urban world. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2023 Protection and cleansing Pagan rituals take place outdoors, when possible, or sometimes in people’s homes or in occult bookstores. Helen A. Berger, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2023 Her new novel, out on Tuesday, takes place in the Chicago suburbs and city, spanning time periods between 17-year-old Ivy’s summer break, and her mother Dana’s secret occult past involving dark, otherworldly forces that may or may not want vengeance on her daughter in the present-day. Gina Tomaine, BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2022 The space is uncluttered, a throw-rug on the armchair, a couple of stark white deer skulls are mounted, European-style, on a wall against a reclaimed barn board — definitely more Soho chic than occult-goth. Lisa Richardson, Longreads, 8 Apr. 2020 Oh and also, there are cults, cannibalism, and all kinds of other strange detours into the occult to make the mystery even deeper. Andrew Webster, The Verge, 13 Jan. 2023 For nearly half a century, legends of a giant cave in the Andes—holding artifacts that could rewrite human history—have beckoned adventurers and tantalized fans of the occult. David Kushner, Outside Online, 28 Dec. 2020 Spooky season may have passed, but the occult obeys no laws of man, calendar included. Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 5 Dec. 2022 But the town was filled with rumors about Satanism, devil worship, and the occult. Felix Gillette, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occult.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

in part back-formation from occultation, in part continuing Middle English occulten "to keep secret, conceal," borrowed from Latin occultāre "to prevent from being seen, conceal, keep secret," frequentative derivative of occulere "to hide from view, conceal" — more at occult entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin occultus "hidden from sight, secret, esoteric," from past participle of occulere "to hide from view, conceal," from oc-, assimilated variant of ob- ob- + -culere, from a verb base *cel- "hide," going back to Indo-European *ḱel- "cover, conceal" — more at conceal

Noun

noun derivative of occult entry 2

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of occult was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near occult

Cite this Entry

“Occult.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occult. Accessed 27 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

occult

1 of 3 verb
oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio)
ä-
: to shut off from view : cover, eclipse

occult

2 of 3 adjective
oc·​cult ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio) ä- How to pronounce occult (audio)
ˈäk-əlt
1
: beyond understanding : mysterious
2
: of or relating to supernatural forces

occult

3 of 3 noun
ə-ˈkəlt How to pronounce occult (audio) ä- How to pronounce occult (audio)
ˈäk-əlt
: matters thought to involve the influence of supernatural forces

Medical Definition

occult

adjective
: not manifest or detectable by clinical methods alone
occult carcinoma
also : not present in macroscopic amounts
occult blood in a stool specimen
fecal occult blood testing
compare gross sense 1b

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