hechsher

en-verb

hechsher (third-person singular simple present hechshers, present participle hechshering, simple past and past participle hechshered)

hechshers (present singular third-person)
hechshering (participle present)
hechshered (participle past)
hechshered (past)

Kashrut means that you eat ONLY foods that have been supervised and hechshered by a specific organization that is responsible for watching the manufacture and packaging of any particular product. It is NOT just avoiding pigs and shellfish.

2004 November 17, animzmirot, “Keeping Kosher?”, in alt.tv.amazing-race (Usenet):


mazzebah

en-noun

mazzebah (plural mazzebahs or mazzeboth)


massebah

massebah (plural masseboth or massebahs)


divine law

divine law (countable and uncountable, plural divine laws)

(theology) Any law (or rule) that, in the opinion of believers, comes directly from the will of God (or a god).


Samael

(Judaism) The angel of death and chief ruler of the 5th heaven.


rebbetzin

Borrowed from Yiddish רביצין (rebetsin), from Hebrew רב (rebbe, “master”) plus Slavic *-itsa (feminine suffix) plus Yiddish ־ין (-in, feminine suffix).

Sometimes when they could not get to Mendel, the women would come to her, to the rebbetzin, and she would bless them as well as she could, with the little wherewithal she brought to the task.

2007, Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, 4th Estate (2010), page 216:


Pleroma

(Gnosticism, historical) Alternative letter-case form of pleroma (“the spiritual universe seen as the totality of the essence and powers of God”)


churching

churching (countable and uncountable, plural churchings)

The churching of women traditionally includes thanksgiving for the women's survival of childbirth.

The clergyman had to dine some distance from town, and had got two churchings, three christenings, and a funeral, to perform in something less than an hour.

1834, Charles Dickens, “The Bloomsbury Christening”, in Sketches by Boz:

As discussed in detail by Caroline Shenton, the churchings of Queen Philippa, for which the details following Isabella's birth in 1333 survive, represented a 'gigantic festival of a family whose start in life had been extremely unsteady'.

2010, Chris Given-Wilson, Fourteenth Century England VI, page 145:

(Christianity) The ceremonial blessing of a woman who has given birth.

ви́від

для породі́лі


degree of glory

degree of glory (plural degrees of glory)

The Lord has said that we will be blessed and will live in a degree of glory in the next life according to the eternal laws we obey in mortality.

2005 April, B. Renato Maldonado, “Messages from the Doctrine and Covenants: The Three Degrees of Glory”, in Ensign, pages 62–65:

children of perdition
child of perdition

(Mormonism) One of the three eternal dwelling places for all resurrected beings except for the children of perdition; the celestial kingdom being the highest, the terrestrial kingdom being the middle, and the telestial kingdom being the lowest.

grado de gloria

One of the three eternal dwelling places for most resurrected beings.


Word of Wisdom

The Word of Wisdom promises that those who remember to keep this counsel and walk in obedience to the commandments “shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones.”

2005 July, James E. Faust, quoting Marion G. Romney, “He Healeth the Broken in Heart”, in Liahona, page 2:

As a young man he decided that he would always keep the Word of Wisdom and never use alcohol or tobacco.

2007 May, John B. Dickson, “Commitment to the Lord”, in Ensign, pages 14–15:

(Mormonism) The health code contained in the Doctrine and Covenants. It specifically prohibits the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, hot drinks (usually interpreted/construed as coffee and/or tea), and excessive amounts of meat.

Palabra de Sabiduría

The health code in the Doctrine and Covenants.


sandek

From Yiddish סנדק (sandek), from Hebrew סנדק (sandák), most likely from Ancient Greek σύντεκνος (súnteknos, literally “companion of child”), from συν- (sun-) + τέκνον (téknon).

der

(Judaism) A person honoured at a Jewish brit milah by holding the baby boy in his lap as the mohel performs the circumcision.


Pele

When Hi‘iaka, Lohi‘au, and her companion began their return trip, the forty days allowed by Pele had passed. Most of Hi‘iaka’s chants during the homeward journey have a recurrent refrain of sorrow, for by now she had a vision of Pele’s treachery.

1989, Rita Knipe, The Water of Life: A Jungian Journey through Hawaiian Myth, University of Hawaii Press, page 146:

1989, Hi‘iaka, entry in Robert D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 60,
Once there, Hi‘iaka learned that Lohi‘au had died out of grief for the woman (Pele) who had danced before him. Hi‘iaka was able to restore his spirit and life. Now they had [to] face the return voyage, and already the forty days had passed.

Some versions of the Pele myth say that Pele was always fighting with her sister. To separate them, their father exiled Pele to Hawaii.

2012, Jim Ollhoff, South Pacific Mythology, ABDO Publishing Company, page 28:

Later the island was visited by Christian missionaries, and a number of Hawaiians converted to Christianity. Nevertheless, Pele was not forgotten, nor was worship of Pele discontinued. Pele remained a powerful goddess in the eyes of native Hawaiians because of her ongoing unpredictable eruptions that both created and destroyed. Even in modern times, Pele is a feature of Hawaii.

2021, David Seal, Sharon K. Smith, World Mythology, Wipf and Stock, page 190:

(Hawaiian mythology) The Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanos.


telestial

→ Tagalog: telestiyal

Uncertain.
* Possibly a blend of terrestrial + celestial, which are the names of the other two degrees of glory.
* Possibly related to Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “at a distance, far away”), Ancient Greek τέλος (télos, “end, purpose”)
* Also possibly Latin tellus (“ground or earth”).

And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.

1835, Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Doctrine and Covenants, 76:81:

(Mormonism) Of or pertaining to the lowest degree of glory.

telestinen

of or pertaining to the lowest degree of glory


God willing

absolute construction; comparable to the phrase (if) God be willing.

God willing, we'll meet again same time next year.

See y'all again same time next year, God willing.

And what so poor a man as Hamlet is May do, to express his love and friending to you, God willing, shall not lack.

1602, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince God willing,of Denmark:

(often as disjunct) Barring unforeseen circumstances, it is hoped that (while generally also indicating acceptance of God's will).

神の思し召しがあれば

かみのおぼしめしがあれば

اَللّٰہ چاہے

"Allah" can be replaced with any term relating to God


dispensationalism

Have we not therefore, good reason to fear disastrous consequences from the fact that the teachers of the new dispensationalism say the Jewish rabbis were right in their interpretation of the prophecies, that the kingdom foretold by the prophets is an earthly kingdom of Jewish character, and that in fact Christ’s mission at that very time was to restore again the earthly Kingdom to Israel? And why then did He not do it?

1928, Philip Mauro, “Twentieth Century Dispensationalism: What and Whence?”, in The Gospel of the Kingdom, with an Examination of Modern Dispensationalism (Religion), Boston: Hamilton Brothers, →OCLC, page 23:

In considering dispensationalism, it is important to know exactly what we are talking about. The Dispensationalists themselves define a dispensation as a period of time, a concept found nowhere in the Scriptures.
One of the earliest American writers on dispensationalism, after Darby, Miller, and their immediate associates, was a Landmark Baptist leader in Arkansas and Texas, Dr. J. R. Graves. In the year 1883 he published a book entitled The Work of Christ Consummated in Seven Dispensations.[…]
By far the most influential work on dispensationalism in modern times is the Scofield Reference Bible, published early in the present century.

1957, Jesse Wilson Hodges, “The Term Dispensation”, in Christ's Kingdom and Coming with an Analysis of Dispensationalism (Religion), Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., →OCLC, pages 52-53:

The most notable contribution was Ryrie’s description of the sine qua non of dispensationalism— one that I memorized on more than one occasion for Dr. John Cawood while a student at Philadelphia College of Bible. Ryrie’s sine qua non of dispensationalism is threefold.
1. Dispensationalism keeps Israel and the Church distinct.
2. The distinction between Israel and the Church emerges from a hermeneutical system that is usually called literal interpretation, namely the employment of a normal or plain interpretation.
3. Dispensationalism understands that the basic purpose of God in all of His dealings with people is to bring glory to Himself through salvation and other purposes.

1999, Herbert W. Bateman IV, “Dispensationalism Yesterday and Today”, in Herbert W. Bateman IV, editor, Three Central Issues in Contemporary Dispensationalism: A Comparison of Traditional and Progressive Views (Biblical Reference / Theology), Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 35:

Dispensationalism offers believers a road map to deal with uncertainty in the world at large. "When somebody says there's a pattern here, and let me tell you what the pattern means, this is what gets a lot of people's attention," said Mr. Weber, the church historian. At this point, dispensationalism's tenets have become so popular that many evangelicals who are in denominations or churches that might not necessarily adhere to dispensationalism have, nevertheless, adopted bits and pieces of it.

2005 October 16, Michael Luo, “Doomsday: The Latest Word if Not the Last”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-29, The World: Prophecies:

Evangelicals have long been influenced by dispensationalism, a theology that promotes a literal reading of biblical prophecy. Many dispensationalists believe Israelites’ return to the Holy Lands is a requirement for the Second Coming of Jesus. When Israeli troops captured the Old City of Jerusalem in June 1967, some saw it as a sign that Jesus was coming. However, dispensational teaching has been waning in mainstream evangelical circles, even as support for a state of Israel has remained strong.

2015 December 14, Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “How some evangelicals are challenging a decades-long stance of blanket support for Israel’s government”, in The Washington Post, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-12-16, Acts of Faith:

After 1981, he devoted himself to writing, promoting his view of Bible prophecy, family life seminars and political activism.
Some fellow conservative Christians pushed back against LaHaye's end-times views, known as premillennial dispensationalism, emphasizing that the books were fictional and should not be read as an exact theological interpretation of the Bible. Still, his books strongly shaped evangelical views of Jesus' Second Coming and popularized the ideas to the broader public. Jenkins called LaHaye a "spiritual giant."

2016 July 25, Rachel Zoll, “Tim LaHaye, author of 'Left Behind' end-times novels, dies”, in USA Today, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-10-08:

Today, the tenets of dispensationalism are upheld across various portions of conservative evangelical Christianity, though debates linger over the precise division, nomenclature, and number of dispensations.

2022, R. B. Thieme, Jr., “dispensationalism”, in Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, First edition (Religion), Houston, TX: R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, →ISBN, archived from the original on 2023-01-14, page 64, column 1:

(religion) A Protestant evangelical theology dividing history into dispensations (rooted in the writings of John Nelson Darby).


alhajia

(Islam) A woman who has made a religious pilgrimage to Mecca


clas

From Welsh clas, from Middle Welsh clas, from Proto-Brythonic *klas, from Latin classis. Doublet of class and classis.


Nanea

For when the leader was come into Persia, and the army with him that seemed invincible, they were slain in the temple of Nanea by the deceit of Nanea's priests.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Maccabees 1:13:

A Persian goddess mentioned in the Bible.


pearly gates

After the description in Revelation 21:21.

When shall these eyes thy heaven-built walls / And pearly gates behold?

1795, Joseph Bromehead, Jerusalem, My Happy Home:

This immense wealth; this gilded splendor; this profusion of luxury; this exemption from toil; this life of ease; this sea of plenty; aye, what of it all? Are the pearly gates of happiness and sweet content flung open to such suitors?

1855, Frederick Douglass, chapter 7, in My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York, Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC:

The narrowness of the imagination of the old masters is generally depicted in their canvases. Heaven to them was a serious business of pearly gates, harps, halos, and aërial flights on ambient pale clouds.

1908, Harold McGraff, chapter 27, in The Lure of the Mask:

I'd toss for pennies on the front steps of the New Jerusalem or set up a faro layout just outside the Pearly Gates.

1910, Jack London, chapter 20, in Burning Daylight:

By the time they got a doctor down / I was already dead / And I'll never understand why the man / Standing in the Pearly Gates said…

1971, John Prine (lyrics and music), “Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore”, in John Prine:

When I'm at the pearly gates / This'll be on my videotape, my videotape

2007, “Videotape”, in In Rainbows, performed by Radiohead:


ousia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek οὐσία (ousía), from the feminine present participle of εἰμί (eimí, “I am”).

We could never know God's ousia, but in order to adapt his indescribable nature to our limited intellect, God communicated to us through his activities in the world.

2009, Karen Armstrong, The Case for God, Vintage, published 2010, page 79:

(theology) The essential nature or ‘substance’ of God, often as contrasted to the ‘energies’ (external actions and influences) through which he is manifest.


hellspawn

en-noun

hellspawn (plural hellspawn or hellspawns)

Despite his grim mien, his kinship with vein-biters and hellspawns, Batman always maintained one pious virtue, his unspoken insistence on the value—the sacredness—of human life.

1994, Dennis O’Neil, Batman: Knightfall, Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 348:

Image Animation also fabricated the hellspawns’ bondage-inspired costumes, substituting foam material for the more expensive leather of the previous two films.

1996, Anthony Timpone, Men, Makeup, and Monsters: Hollywood’s Masters of Illusion and FX, St. Martin’s Griffin, →ISBN, page 179:

The face and voice were beyond question those of the man who had died to protect her in a room full of hellspawn and slaughter.

1998, David Drake, Queen of Demons, Tor Books, →ISBN, page 115:

“The door was ajar. Not so smart for a young Nightwing-in-training—especially when he’s got one of those filthy hellspawns in his hands.”

2003, Geoffrey Huntington [pseudonym; William J. Mann], “A Deadly Duel”, in Demon Witch (The Ravenscliff Series; II), ReganBooks, →ISBN, page 111:

(fantasy) A creature or creatures from hell.


Milcah

(biblical) A sister-in-law of Abraham: a sister of Sarah.

And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.


Rahab

And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 6:25:

(biblical) A prostitute of Jericho who, in the Torah, helped Israelite spies.


targum

From Hebrew תַּרְגּוּם (targúm, “translation”).

bor

Jonathan who compiled the Thargum, conceives the colours of these banners to answer the pretious stones in the breastplate, and upon which the names of the Tribes were engraven.

1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, V.10:

Eventually, the words of such Aramaic whisper-translations (called chuchotage in the modern world of international interpreters) were written down, mostly in small fragments, and these targums now provide precious linguistic and historical records for scholars of Judaism.

2011, David Bellos, Is That a Fish in Your Ear?, Penguin, published 2012, page 141:

(Judaism) An Aramaic translation of the Tanakh written or compiled between the Second Temple period and the early Middle Ages.


eternalism

[The earth’s] history stretched indefinitely or even infinitely into past and future and involved no unique and unexplained events such as the Flood; indeed, earth history was “without vestige of a beginning, without prospect of an end.” […] Most significantly, the virtual eternalism of such theories was extended, often explicitly, to the history of mankind[…]. Mankind could thus be claimed as uncreated and therefore not subject to any of the traditional moral and social constraints.

1986, Martin J. S. Rudwick, “The Shape and Meaning of Earth History”, in David C. Lindberg, Ronald L. Numbers, editors, God and Nature: Historical Essays on the Encounter between Christianity and Science, →ISBN, page 307:

The first of these is eternalism, which holds that matter, energy, and intelligence—the components of the universe—are uncreated, indestructible, eternal, and forever fixed.

1997, Dale C. Lecheminant, “Foreword”, in John A. Widtsoe, Rational Theology: As Taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, →ISBN, page vii:

(philosophy, theology) The view that matter is uncreated and has existed, and will exist, eternally.


modalism

en-noun

modalism (countable and uncountable, plural modalisms)

(Christianity) The nontrinitarian doctrine that God, who is one person, has three modes of divine revelation (the Father, Son, and Spirit), contrary to the orthodox belief that the three persons are all fully God.


Holy Mother

A clipping of Holy Mother of God in reference to Mary, mother of Jesus.

(Christianity) Synonym of Mother of God, Mary mother of Jesus in her role as mother of God.


Holy Mother of God

(Christianity) Synonym of Mother of God, Mary in her role as mother of God.


Holy Mother of God

Holy Mother of God, you've got to go faster than that to get to the top

(blasphemous) Synonym of Mother of God, an expression of surprise, frustration, etc.


IPU

Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn#English

(Internet, informal, humorous) Initialism of Invisible Pink Unicorn.

Inter-Parliamentary Union
w:Inter-Parliamentary Union

(Philippines) Initialism of Inter-Parliamentary Union.


semantron

semantron (plural semantrons or semantra)

From Ancient Greek σήμαντρον (sḗmantron, “a seal, signet, in MGr. a semantron”), from σημαίνειν (sēmaínein, “to show by a sign, signify, in MGr. strike a semantron”), from σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign”).

uder

A percussion instrument used chiefly in Eastern Orthodox monasteries to summon the brethren to prayer or to lead processions.


Nephite

For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it

1830, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, translation of original by Mormon, 2 Nephi 29:12:

(Mormonism) A member of the group of descendants of Lehi's son Nephi who supposedly lived in the Americas from around 600 BC until 385 AD when the Lamanites wiped them out.


Lamanite

And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us; for I knew their hatred towards me and my children and those who were called my people.

1830, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, translation of original by Mormon, 2 Nephi 5:14:

(Mormonism) A member of the group of descendants of Laman who live in the Americas and include the modern-day American Indians.


SWT

From Arabic سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى (subḥānahu wataʕālā, “glorious and exalted is He”), honorific placed after the name of God (Allah) in Islamic texts.

der

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى

Subhanahu wa-ta'ala
subhanahu wa-ta'ala#English

(Islam) Initialism of Subhanahu wa-ta'ala.


Christian Universalism

the Christian belief that all human souls will eventually get to Heaven


Young Earth creationism

(creationism, pseudoscience) Belief that the universe and the Earth are 6,000 to 10,000 years old as inferred from a literal interpretation of the creation narrative in Genesis.


Old Earth creationism

The belief that God created the universe and the Earth very long ago and that the universe and the Earth are as old as scientists have proven.


Universalist

Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalist

Alternative form of Unitarian Universalist


Universalism

/ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəlˌɪzəm/

Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism


praise the Lord

A present subjunctive clause inherited intact from a time when English was freely productive of them. It is semantically equivalent to praise be to God. The zero morph difference from the imperative form allows parsing as a command synchronically.

A phrase used to thank God by Christians.

cultural Christian
cultural Christian#English

Expression of thankful happiness; not always literally religious when used by cultural Christians, but not explicitly differentiable, thus ambiguous.

“There was a time when the homosexual demanded marriage,” he added with an exasperated chuckle. “Praise the Lord, that time is past. PRAISE THE LORD!” he commanded.

2021, Truscott Jones, chapter 1, in For the Common Good: What Happens When the Powerful Get Desperate?, Saint Petersburg, Fla.: BookLocker, →ISBN, page 8:

(UK, mildly blasphemous) Stereotypical exclamation used in mockery of Christianity.


Enyo

(Greek mythology) Goddess of violent war, acting as a counterpart and companion to the war god Ares. Identified with Bellona in Roman mythology.


Heilsgeschichte

Without a divine Heilsgeschichte it would not make sense to speak of Jesus' ‘deity’. He would then simply be one of the heroes of history—nothing more.

1959, Guthrie/Hall, translating Oscar Cullman, The Christology of the New Testament, p. 306

He was not a Leninist because he would have had no conception of historical self-determination. The only kind of history that mattered was Heilsgeschichte, or salvation history.

2007 December 4, Terry Eagleton, The Guardian:

The much greater iconographic programmes of the other three Bibles mean that a sort of pictorial Heilsgeschichte can be given spread throughout the work: in the Bamberg it has to be compressed.

2008, Jill Bradley, You Shall Surely Not Die, volume 1, page 71:

(theology) History seen as the work of God's salvation. (Especially, in Christianity, the history of the Old Testament, seen as a preparation for the coming of Christ.)

heilsgeschiedenis

history seen as the work of God's salvation


ultramontanism

en-noun

ultramontanism (countable and uncountable, plural ultramontanisms)

From ultramontane + -ism, after French ultramontanisme.

Ultramontanism is often seen as a conservative force in the Church, but after 1815 it represented innovation and the prospect of Church reconstruction and revival, albeit of a particular type.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 818:

A Roman Catholic philosophy that emphasises the prerogatives and powers of the Pope.


open and affirming

en-adj

open and affirming (comparative more open and affirming, superlative most open and affirming)

more open and affirming (comparative)
most open and affirming (superlative)

Of or pertaining to Christian congregations and other Christian groups that accept gay men and women, bisexuals, and transgender people.


Manoah

(biblical) The father of the biblical strongman Samson.


technopaganism

Any of various neo-pagan movements with an emphasis on technology, such as the use of modern devices in magic rituals.


Abbot of Misrule

en-noun

Abbot of Misrule (plural Abbots of Misrule)

(usually capitalized) One elected to preside over the Christmas revelry in noble households and elsewhere in England during the 15th and 16th century; Lord of Misrule.


Annona

(Roman mythology) A Roman goddess personifying the yearly harvest.


Ababil

From Arabic أَبَابِيل (ʔabābīl, “tiny birds”), described in the Qur'an as dropping red clay bricks on the army of elephants, sent by the king of Yemen to attack the city of Mecca, in the year (571 AD) when the prophet Muhammad was born.


sadhana

en-noun

sadhana (usually uncountable, plural sadhanas)

Transliteration of Sanskrit साधना (sādhanā).

translit

(religion) A spiritual practice or discipline leading to a goal.


apostolicity

en-noun

apostolicity (usually uncountable, plural apostolicities)

From apostolic + -ity, after French apostolicité.

his Church did its best to trump Rome in apostolicity by declaring that it had been founded by the first-recruited among Christ's Apostles, Andrew.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 427:

(Christianity) The quality of being apostolic, notably of preserving authenticity within the mission and tradition of the Christian church as founded by Jesus Christ and his twelve original Apostles, through their representatives and successors in the papacy and episcopate.


Cathar

Recorded since the 16th century; from the masculine plural of Medieval Latin Catharī (“Pure (ones)”), from the masculine plural of Byzantine Greek καθαροί (katharoí, “Pure (ones)”), from the masculine singular of Byzantine Greek καθαρός (katharós, “Pure (one)”), from Ancient Greek καθαρός (katharós, “pure”).

der

The Albigenses, famous Cathars in and around Albi (southern France), were eradicated in a bloody ‘crusade’.

A member of certain so self-styled Novatian and other medieval Christian sects embracing a form of dualism and extraordinary practices purportedly adhering to Mary Magdalene's teachings, persecuted by Roman Catholics as heretics.

կաթար

member of one or more medieval Christian sects


Sabaoth

/səˈbeɪˌoʊθ/

From Latin, from Ancient Greek Σαβαώθ (Sabaṓth), from Biblical Hebrew צבאות (tsabāʾōθ), plural of צבא (tsābāʾ).

(Judaism, Christianity, biblical) An epithet of God in His role as protector of the Israelite army, usually translated (alongside YHWH or Elohim) as "Lord of Hosts".; compare the archaic title Drighten.

(Gnosticism) One of the seven chief archons in the Ophite cosmogony.


Sabbatist

(Judaism) One who exhibits Sabbatism; a strict observer of the Sabbath.


Veles

(Slavic mythology) The pagan Slavic god of the fertile earth, livestock, waters, and the underworld, often portrayed as a chimera.


Sabbatism

Borrowed from Latin sabbatismus, from Ancient Greek.

(Judaism) Strict observance of the Sabbath.


indult

That’s why, for instance, most American Catholics now receive communion in the hand (permission for which was originally granted as an “indult,” an exception), […]

2015 August 27, Ross Douthat, “Catholic Exceptions and Catholic Rules”, in New York Times Opinion Pages, retrieved 2021-06-03:

(Catholicism) A permission or privilege granted by the church authority that excepts an individual from what is otherwise a norm of church law, such as a release from monastic vows.


Sabellianism

(Christianity) A Christian belief which holds that God the Father and God the Son are one and the same, the latter often being termed Patripassianism in that it implies God the Father personally suffered on the Cross.


Petro

Whereas the Rada drumming and dancing are on beat, the Petro are offbeat, sharp, and unforgiving, like the crack of a rawhide whip.

1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 49:

In Haitian voodoo, a class of loa of uncertain origin, chiefly associated with fierceness or aggression.


Mandaeism

From Aramaic 𐡌𐡍𐡃𐡏 (manda, “knowledge”) + -ism.

A monotheistic religion of the Iraq region with a strongly dualistic and gnostic worldview, whose adherents (the Mandaeans) revere Adam and other Biblical figures, especially John the Baptist.

مِنْدَائِيَّة

a monotheistic religion of the Iraq region


sacramentize

en-verb

sacramentize (third-person singular simple present sacramentizes, present participle sacramentizing, simple past and past participle sacramentized)

sacramentizes (present singular third-person)
sacramentizing (participle present)
sacramentized (participle past)
sacramentized (past)

(Christianity) To administer the sacraments.


sacramentarian

(theology) Someone who holds that the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist is purely metaphorical rather than physical or literal.

(religion) One who holds a high or extreme view of the efficacy of the sacraments.


by the Grace of God

Calque of Latin Deī grātiā. Doublet of Dei gratia.

(idiomatic, religion, Christianity) By divine will and benevolence.


human sacrifice

en-noun

human sacrifice (countable and uncountable, plural human sacrifices)

The killing of one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual.


voodooist

“Voodooists believe that their sorcerers have the power to raise innocent individuals from their graves to sell them as sleaves.”

1985, Wade Davis, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Simon & Schuster, page 26:


perfectus

(historical, Christianity) Synonym of perfect (“leader of the Cathar movement”)


Balaamite

en-adj

Balaamite (comparative more Balaamite, superlative most Balaamite)

more Balaamite (comparative)
most Balaamite (superlative)

(rare, Christianity, derogatory) Resembling Balaam, as described in Revelation 2:14.


Balaamite

(rare, Christianity, derogatory) A Balaamite person.


Mother of God

Calque of Latin Mater Dei and its descendants in other languages, from the Christian concept of the Trinity whereby Jesus as God the Son is identical to God the Father as the single divinity.

(Christianity) A dogmatic title of Mary, mother of Jesus, in particular reference to her role as mother of God.

ܝܳܠܕܰܬ ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ

Mary, mother of Jesus, as the mother of God or God-bearer — see also Mary, Theotokos, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Virgin Mary


Mother of God

(Christianity) Said in supplication to Mary.


Latter Day Saint

en-noun

Latter Day Saint (plural Latter Day Saints)

Latter-day Saint
Latter-day Saint#English

Alternative spelling of Latter-day Saint


lay brother

lay brother (plural lay brothers or lay brethren)

lay brothers (plural)
lay brethren (plural)

In feudal days lay brothers were usually uneducated commoners, who did most menial, manual labor while the learned priestly monks held the more spiritual jobs.

2010, WHY A LAY BROTHER?, Franciscan Friars
The male branch of the Franciscan family, a community of Lesser Brothers, is made up of men who are both clergy and consecrated laity traditionally called "lay brothers".

(Christianity) A layman who is a member of a religious congregation or monastic order without the intention to become a priest.

lekenbroeder

a layman who is a member of a brotherhood without the intention to become a priest


Saint Anthony's cross

Saint Anthony's cross (plural Saint Anthony's crosses)


Saint Andrew's cross

Saint Andrew's cross (plural Saint Andrew's crosses)

Saint Andrew's Cross (BDSM)
Saint Andrew's cross

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Saint Andrew's cross.wav

A diagonal cross, the figure of a cross that has a form of two intersecting oblique bars.


saintess

From Middle English seintesse. By surface analysis, saint + -ess.


pinda

(Hinduism) A ball of cooked rice mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds offered to ancestors during Hindu funeral rites and ancestor worship rituals.


sign of the cross

sign of the cross (plural signs of the cross)

A calque translation of Latin signum crucis.

(Christianity) A gesture of the hand moving over the front of one's body in the shape of a cross made as part of ritual or to invoke divine protection.


bima

Borrowed from Hebrew בִּימָה (bîmâ). Doublet of bema.

(Judaism) The raised platform in the front of a synagogue where the Torah is read on a podium.


lamaism

Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism#English

(dated, potentially offensive) Synonym of Tibetan Buddhism.


shabbos

shabbos (countable and uncountable, plural shabbosim or shabboses)

Borrowed from Yiddish שבת (shabes), from Hebrew שַׁבָּת (shabát). Doublet of Shabbat and Sabbath.

I told that Kraut a fuckin' thousand times, I don't roll on shabbos!

1998, Joel and Ethan Coen, The Big Lebowski (motion picture), spoken by Walter Sobchak (John Goodman):

(Judaism) Shabbat or shabbat (the biblical seventh-day Sabbath).


Saiva

(Hinduism) A worshiper of Shiva or practicer of Shaivism.


Shaktism

A branch of Hinduism that focuses on the worship of Shakti as a supreme goddess.


Shaivism

From Sanskrit शैव (śaiva, “relating, belonging or sacred to the god Shiva”) + -ism.

uder

A sect comprising the worshippers of the god Shiva.

xivaisme

a branch of Hinduism focusing on the worship of Shiva


passible

Borrowed into Middle English from Old French passible, from Late Latin passibilis.

(chiefly theology) Able to suffer, or feel pain.


household deity

en-noun

household deity (plural household deities)

[…] Ganesh (Pillayar in Tamil), here is not associated with militant Hinduism; Pillayar is a lovable household deity here, a free and familiar god who craves no chauvinistic devotion.

1990, V. Geetha with S. V. Rajadurai, “Communal Violence in Madras: A Portent?”, in Economic and Political Weekly, volume 25, number 38, →ISSN, page 2122:

[O]n this day, as throughout the New Year's period, rites of divination for the following year were performed along with rites for the spirits of ancestors and other household deities.

2005, Michael Como, “Silkworms and Consorts in Nara Japan”, in Asian Folklore Studies, volume 64, number 1, page 127:

(mythology, religion) A minor tutelary deity watching over a household, usually conceived as a protective ancestral spirit or genius loci.

huisgod

minor god or goddess who protects a home or family

lar

chiefly Roman contexts, particularly overseeing the family

penates

chiefly Roman contexts, particularly overseeing the house and its storeroom


TEC

The Episcopal Church
w:The Episcopal Church


Salagrama

/ʃaːlaːɡɹaːmə/

From Sanskrit शालग्राम (śālagrāma, “a village in ancient India; a sacred stone”).

uder

(Hinduism) A fossil ammonite held by the Hindus to be representative of Vishnu.


Kamala

en-prop

Kamala (countable and uncountable, plural Kamalas)

Transliteration of Sanskrit कमला (kamalā). Doublet of Kamal.

translit

(Hinduism) An epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

কমলা

Hinduism: an epithet of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi


Our Father

“What did the priest, and all of you, keep on saying when we first went in?” / “Our Fathers, Hail Maries, and Glorias; couldn’t you hear?” asked Emily, laughing.

1872, F. A., chapter V, in Marion Howard; or Trials and Triumphs, Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham, […], page 100:

"You are our Father as well as theirs. Permit us, for a short space, to meet in brotherhood, that we may have an added knowledge of that eternal life which awaits us, and so be helped during our years of waiting in this lower world." He ended with the "Our Father", in which we all joined.

1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

(Christianity) (Our Father) The Lord's Prayer, which begins with these words.


ghosthunting

Investigations that aim to track down ghosts.

spokenjacht

Investigations aiming to track down ghosts


ghosthunter

They watched the two ghost-hunters run own the corridor and go crashing over the trip-wire.

1971, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 119:

His reputation as a ghosthunter grew stronger and others began contacting him for investigations and "exorcisms."

1992, Blanche Barton, The secret life of a Satanist: the authorized biography of Anton LaVey:

The most prolific and successful German horror writer of the Hefte is Helmut Rellergerd (1945-), who writes as Jason Dark about a ghosthunter named John...

1999, John Clute, John Grant, The encyclopedia of fantasy:

The Frighteners (1996) has a ghosthunter, Frank, working with a trio of ghosts who infest premises that he then clears.

2004, Tom Ruffles, Ghost images: cinema of the afterlife:

The last two years have certainly made me a ghosthunter, perhaps not in the intensive style exhibited by ghosthunter clubs and "professional" ghosthunters...

2005, John B Kachuba, Ghosthunting Illinois:

A person who attempts to track down ghosts.


Dikê

Dolos and Dikê in Sophokles’ Elektra

2001: Leona MacLeod, Dolos and Dikê in Sophokles’ Elektra, volume 219, main title (Brill; →ISBN, 9789004118980)

(historical, Greek mythology) The goddess personifying the principle of justice.


head

it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

From the Gospel of Matthew, verse 19:24. Some assert that "camel" is a misinterpretation of a word meaning "rope" and others assert that the "Needle's Eye" was a gate in the walls of Jerusalem, but the evidence for each of these theories is contested, and the literal interpretation remains the most common.

(Christianity, biblical) It is unlikely that the wealthy will go to heaven.

ʔinna murūra jamal min ṯaqb ʔibratin ʔaysaru min ʔan yadḵula ḡaniyyun ʔilā malakūti llāhi

إِنَّ مُرُورَ جَمَل مِنْ ثَقْب إِبْرَةٍ أَيْسَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ غَنِيٌّ إِلَى مَلَكُوتِ اللهِ

det er lettere for en kamel at komme igennem et nåleøje end for en rig at komme ind i Guds rige

eher geht ein Kamel durch ein Nadelöhr, als dass ein Reicher in das Reich Gottes gelangt

det er lettere for en kamel å gå gjennom et nåløye enn for en rik man å komme inn i Guds rike

łatwiej jest wielbłądowi przejść przez ucho igielne, niż bogatemu wejść do królestwa niebieskiego

é mais fácil passar um camelo pelo fundo de uma agulha do que entrar um rico no reino de Deus

léxče verbljúdu projtí skvozʹ igólʹnoje uškó, čem bogačú vojtí v cárstvije nebésnoje

ле́гче верблю́ду пройти́ сквозь иго́льное ушко́, чем богачу́ войти́ в ца́рствие небе́сное

es más fácil que un camello pase por el ojo de una aguja, que un rico entre en el reino de Dios


naat

en-noun

naat (countable and uncountable, plural naats)

From Classical Persian نعت, which is from Arabic نَعْت (naʕt).

(Islam) poetry in praise of the prophet Muhammad


precation

precation (countable and uncountable, plural precations)

The Litany […] was ordered to be sung immediately before High Mass, by the priests "with others of the choir" […] and this solemn form of precation, like so many other things, assumed the livery of uniformity.

1881, Richard Watson Dixon, History of the Church of England, volume 2, Routledge, page 431:

The full form of the precation was God give you a good even.

1893, Charles P. G. Scott, “English Words Which Hav Gaind or Lost an Initial Consonant by Attraction,”, in Transactions of the American Philological Association, volume 24, page 123:

The present inquiry therefore aims to pay more than lipservice to the notion of drama as performance, and to make more than a gesture towards the idea of theatre as a composite art, one that mixes music and mime, dance and song, painting and design, poetry and narrative, and much else. It is precation and response, and seeks out evidence of the manipulation of the audience and its powers of perception.

1996, J. L. Styan, The English Stage, →ISBN, pages xiii–xiv:

(rare) A prayer or act of praying; an earnest request.


zemi

Any of various local deities, human or animal and represented by small idols, once worshipped by the Caribbean peoples of the Taino culture.


rehat

rehat (countable and uncountable, plural rehats)

The rules and traditions governing the Sikh lifestyle and orthodoxy.


eulogia

From Latin eulogia, from Ancient Greek εὐλογῐ́ᾱ (eulogíā).

To Severus he sends "a Campanian loaf from his cell, as a eulogia," together with a boxwood casket, and begs him, as before, by accepting the loaf in the name of the Lord to convert it into a eulogia.

1880, Sir William Smith, editor, A Dictionary of Christian Antiquities, volume 1, Eulogiae, page 630:

At Easter it was even sent into other dioceses, bishops being in the habit of sending the consecrated host to each other as a mark of intercommunion, of brotherhood and amity. To the sacred host, on these occasions, the name of eulogia was given, and thus until the fifth century the word eulogia appears to have been synonymous with eucharistia, and used interchangeably with it to designate the sacrament of the altar, the chalice and bread of benediction spoken of by St. Paul.

1891, The American Catholic Quarterly Review, volume 16, page 383:

It was there decreed that the hallowed elements were no longer to be sent as Eulogiae into strange dioceses, at the feast of Easter.

1917, William Herbert Freestone, The Sacrament Reserved: A Survey of the Practice of Reserving the Eucharist, with Special Reference to the Communion of the Sick, During the First Twelve Centuries:

Popular devotion to the consecrated host grew significantly from the eleventh century onwards, and a number of twelfth- and thirteenth-century texts indicate that it was reverence, not indifference, which discouraged frequent lay reception of the eucharist. The eulogia, meanwhile, came to be regarded as, at least in a partial sense, a surrogate for communion.

2015, Gervase Rosser, The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages: Guilds in England 1250-1550:

(Christianity, historical) The practice of sending the consecrated Eucharist to those not present, or the Eucharist itself so sent.


commixtion

commixtion (countable and uncountable, plural commixtions)

From Middle English commixtion, from Middle French commixtion, and its source, Latin commixtiōnem, from commiscēre (“to mix”).

(Christianity) The putting of a small piece of the host into the chalice during Mass, typifying the reunion of body and soul at the resurrection.


Tryphena

From Ancient Greek τρῠφή (truphḗ, “softness, daintiness”).

uder

Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord.

An early Christian woman mentioned in the Bible.


Mahlon

From Biblical Hebrew מַחְלוֹן (makhlón).

Moreover Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his brethren, and from the gate of his place: ye are witnesses this day.

The first husband of Ruth, mentioned in the Book of Ruth in the Bible.


Zipporah

From Biblical Hebrew צִפֹּרָה (ṣippōrā), a feminization of ציפור / צִפֹּר (ṣippōr, “bird”).

he-m

ציפור / צִפֹּר (ṣippōr, “bird”)

And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.


Eliezer

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Eleazar

Borrowed from Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azár, “God has helped”). Doublet of Lazarus.

bor

And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead.

(biblical) Any of a number of men in the Old Testament, including a son of Aaron.


Phinehas

From Biblical Hebrew פִּינְחָס (Pīnəḥās), from Egyptian pꜣ-nḥsj (literally “the Nubian”), from pꜣ + nḥsj.

der

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Egyptian of biblical origin.


binate

en-verb

binate (third-person singular simple present binates, present participle binating, simple past and past participle binated)

binates (present singular third-person)
binating (participle present)
binated (participle past)
binated (past)

From Latin bīnātus, past participle of bīnō (“to binate”), from bīnus (“two each, in pairs”). Equivalent to Latin bīnō + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

(Catholicism, intransitive) To perform bination; to hold Mass twice on the same day.


Invention of the Cross

(Christianity) The alleged discovery of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, by St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 326 C.E..

(Christianity) The church festival observed on 3 May in commemoration of St Helena's alleged discovery of the so-called True Cross.


cosmicism

The literary philosophy developed by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft, stating that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as God, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence.


triquetra

en-noun

triquetra (plural triquetras or triquetrae)

From Latin triquētrus (“having three corners”).

der

A shape formed of three vesicae piscium, sometimes with an additional circle, a symbol of things and persons that are threefold (including the Christian Trinity), and a symbol of protection in Wicca.


archdemon

(religion, fantasy) A chief demon; an archdevil.


quinquennal

From Latin quīnquennālis, from quīnquennis (“5-year”) + -ālis (“-al”), from quinque (“five”) + annus (“year”) + -is (“forming compound adjectives”).

(Christianity, obsolete) A position held for 5 years.


Christian rock

(music) A genre of rock music with a Christian theme.


nonjuror

/nɒnˈdʒʊəɹə/

Accident brought her into the Company of a Couple of Clergymen, disguised in Secular Habits, The one was a Venerable Old Nonjuror, the other, the Reverend Dr..... Dean of — [...].

1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of Sally Salisbury, section III:

The character of a nonjuror which he maintained to the last is a sufficient evidence of his principles in Church and State […].

c. 1793, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs, Penguin, published 1990, page 55:

(historical, Anglicanism) Someone who refuses to swear a particular oath, specifically a clergyman who refused to take the oath of allegiance to William and Mary in 1689.


Proddy

(colloquial, sometimes derogatory, Northern Ireland) A Protestant (as termed by Roman Catholics).


Bondye

As among the Yoruba, Vodouisants must also recognize Bondye as the first and the last.

2000, Leslie G. Desmangles, The Faces of the Gods, page 162:

According to the Vodou worldview, Bondye created the world—and then, after finishing with his labors, he turned things over to the angels, saints, and lwa.

2007, Kevin Filan, The Haitian Vodou Handbook, Destiny Books, page 27:

As is the case in much of the African tradition, Bondye is not the object of any direct cult or worship.

2009, Molefi Kete Asante, Ama Mazama, editors, Encyclopedia of African Religion, volume 1, page 136:


perichoresis

From Ancient Greek περιχώρησις (perikhṓrēsis, “going round, rotation”), from περιχωρέω (perikhōréō), from περί (perí, “around”) + χωρέω (khōréō, “go forward, travel”), because the relationship between the three members of the Trinity was described by early Christians as an eternal interpenetrating circulation.

uder

(Christianity) The doctrine of the Trinity.


horologion

From Byzantine Greek ὡρολόγιον (hōrológion, “book of hours”), from Ancient Greek ὥρα (hṓra, “time period, hour”) + λόγιον (lógion, “record; measuring device”), from λόγος (lógos) + -ιον (-ion). Doublet of horologe and horologium. See menologion.

der

The Orthodox horologion is roughly equivalent to the Catholic breviary.

(Christianity) A liturgical book containing the daily offices of the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches.


Eliel

From Hebrew אֱלִיאֵל ('ĕlī'ēl, “El is my lord”).

bor

(rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


keeill

Borrowed from Manx keeill. Doublet of cell.

The division into sheadings and into (early secular) parishes is shown in Plate II with the sites of incised or engraved stones and of those keeills beside which graveyards have been identified.

1958, Annie Ashley, The Church in the Isle of Man, number 13, page 8:

The local place-name 'Chapel Gate' — 'the road to the Chapel' — is of some antiquity (J. J. Kneen, Place-Names, I, p. 22) and applies particularly to the steep pathway down the brooghs to the keeill-site and well at the west end of 'Chapel Bay'.

1966, in the Report of the Manx Archaeological Survey, volume 6, page 61

(chiefly Isle of Man, historical) A small monastic cell or chapel (especially during the pre-modern period).


afikomen

Borrowed from Yiddish אַפֿיקומן (afikoymen), from Hebrew אֲפִיקוֹמָן ('afikomán).

The Passover Seders that Jews celebrated on the weekend would have been incomplete without the afikomen.

2008 April 22, Clyde Haberman, “The Unsavory Is No Rarity at City Hall”, in New York Times:

(Judaism) The matzoh eaten at a Passover seder, after dinner.


Oxford movement

(historical) A group of clerical Oxford dons that tried to link the Anglican Church more closely to its Roman Catholic roots.


anti-Christian

en-adj

anti-Christian (comparative more anti-Christian, superlative most anti-Christian)

more anti-Christian (comparative)
most anti-Christian (superlative)


anti-Christian

One who opposes Christians or Christianity.


Erastus

From Ancient Greek ἐραστός (erastós, “lovable”).

uder

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek of biblical derivation.


asectarian

en-adj

asectarian (comparative more asectarian, superlative most asectarian)

more asectarian (comparative)
most asectarian (superlative)

The asectarian comradeship of the very early thirties yielded to unofficial manipulation of religious differences as the decade advanced.

1999, Seán McMahon, Sam Hanna Bell: a biography, Blackstaff Press, →ISBN, page 114:

Muir came from a religious home where doctrine and theology were somewhat ambiguous as a result of the asectarian Disciples doctrine.

2002, Dennis C. Williams, God's Wilds: John Muir's Vision of Nature^([199]), Texas A&M University Press, →ISBN, page 199:

In respect of the asectarian label applied to this event, we would point out that the sizeable Protestant/non-Catholic membership of our community has, throughout all of the sectarian unrest in Antrim over recent years, remained welcome in Rathenraw and will continue to receive the support of the community.

2003 September 24, Rathenraw Community Association, “Points of view: Community not a no-go area despite recent arson attack.”, in Europe Intelligence Wire:

(religion, uncommon) Not sectarian; lacking sectarianism.


age of judgment

en-noun

age of judgment (plural ages of judgment)

Thus if God fixes and determines the Day of Judgment, upon the foreſight of ſuch a General Impiety as will deſerve a final exciſion, God cannot reveal this to the World: For one would think it impoſſible, did the World know this beforehand, but the Age of Judgment ſhould be the moſt Devout and Religious Age, that ever had been from the beginning of the World; and then that would not be a fit time to deſtroy the World; and God could not foreſee it the propereſt time of Judgment.

1692: William Sherlock, A Practical Diſcourſe concerning a Future Judgment, page 187 (2ⁿᵈ edition; printed by M.R. for W. Rogers, at the Sun over-againſt S. Dunſtan’s Church in Fleetſtreet)

(theology) The time of the Last Judgment


beneficed

a lewde curate,
A parson benyfyced
But nothynge well advysed.

c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 62, lines 35–37:

Sir Wycherly was not a hard drinker, like Dutton; but he was a fair drinker, like Mr. Rotherham, and most of the beneficed clergy of that day.

1842, James Fenimore Cooper, The Two Admirals:

I shall now look on them as beneficed, and consider their preaching.

1903, Edited by Professor Arber and Thomas Seccombe, An English Garner:


numinal

en-adj

numinal (comparative more numinal, superlative most numinal)

more numinal (comparative)
most numinal (superlative)

From the oblique stem numin- of Latin numen (“divine will, god”) + -al.


genius locorum

jēʹnĭəs lŏkôʹrəm

/ˈd͡ʒiːnɪəs lɒˈkɔːɹəm/

A borrowing of Latin genius locorum (“tutelary spirit of the places”), employing the genitive plural of locus (“place”).

bor

(rare) A single spirit or minor deity (genius) which watches over several places, rather than only one.


Talibaptist

Blend of Taliban + Baptist, from the hardline tactics of the former group and the traditionalism of the latter.

(slang, derogatory, chiefly US) A fundamentalist Christian.


Landmarkism

From landmark + -ism, after a passage in Proverbs 22:28: "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."

(Christianity) An ecclesiology whereby non-Baptist churches are considered illegitimate.


genius loci

head

genius loci (plural genii loci or genii locorum)

genii loci (plural)
genii locorum (plural)

jēʹnyəs lōʹkī

jēʹnyəs lōʹsī

/ˈɡɛnɪˌʊs ˈloʊki/

jēʹnyəs lōʹkī

jēʹnyəs lōʹsī

/ˈɡɛnɪˌʊs ˈləʊki/

Learned borrowing from Latin genius loci (“tutelary deity of a/the place”), from the singular genitive form of locus (“place”).

lbor

(Roman mythology) The minor deity or spirit watching over a particular place.


hikmat

en-noun

hikmat (countable and uncountable, plural hikmats)


dars

From Arabic دَرْس (dars), often via Urdu.

After fajr a small dars of approximately 10 minutes will take place.

A lesson on a topic in the Qurʾān or Sunna.


special creation

We do not know how the Creator created, [or] what processes He used, for He used processes which are not now operating anywhere in the natural universe. This is why we refer to creation as special creation. We cannot discover by scientific investigation anything about the creative processes used by the Creator.

1995, Duane Gish, Evolution: The Fossils Say No, page 42:

In creationism, a theological doctrine which asserts that the origin of the universe and all life in it suddenly sprang into being by unconditional fiat or divine decree.

In Roman Catholicism, the origin of the human soul.


yana

Transliteration of Sanskrit यान (yāna, “vehicle”).

translit

The Tibetan word for yana is thekpa, which means "that which lifts you up." Anything that lifts you up and takes you to your destination is a yana.

2013, Chögyam Trungpa, chapter 1, in Judith L. Lief, editor, The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion, volume 2:

(Buddhism) Any of the vehicles of Buddhist or Tantric practice.

ယာန

any of the three vehicles of Buddhist practice


kadi

From Ottoman Turkish قاضی (kadı), from Arabic قَاضِي (qāḍī), and from Arabic directly.

bor

Arabic قَاضِي (qāḍī)

Each has an imaum, but the kadi is their head, of which dignity he seems not a little proud.

"You shall go to Mecca when you grow up, and become a Hadji, and when you come back the high kadi shall take you in the mosque and make a kateeb of you," said I. "Now put your forehead to the ground and thank the good Allah that the kuching had eaten dog before he got you."

1898, Rounsevelle Wildman, Tales of the Malayan Coast:

To this the Jew agreed, and the two went together to the great hall, in which the kadi was administering justice.

Alternative spelling of qadi, Islamic judge, particularly (historical) in Ottoman contexts where they initially oversaw local administration as well as Islamic law.


Peleg

en-proper noun

Peleg (countable and uncountable, plural Pelegs)


superhumeral

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superhumeral.wav

An imperial decorative collar worn in Byzantium.


Ananda

Transliteration of Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda) or Pali ānanda.

translit

(Buddhism) The foremost disciple of Gautama Buddha.


epiclesis

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐπίκλησις (epíklēsis, “invocation”).

lbor

Holonym: anaphora

(Christianity) A prayer invoking the Holy Spirit, especially one offered in the liturgical context of the Eucharist so as to change the elements of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus.


Laozi

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the standard Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 老子 (“the Old One, the Venerable One”).

der

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

(Chinese history) An honorific title for the legendary Taoist philosopher Li Er, who supposedly lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and (Chinese mythology) has subsequently been worshipped as a Taoist god.

لَاو تْسِي

influential Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism


Callirrhoë

(Greek mythology) A naiad, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys.


Potiphar

From Biblical Hebrew פּוֹטִיפַר (potifár).

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 39:1:

(biblical) An Egyptian and captain of the guard under Pharaoh.


tablewise

From Middle English tabylwyse, equivalent to table + -wise.

(Christianity) Oriented like the communion table, with the ends east and west, as opposed to altarwise.


virtualism

en-noun

virtualism (usually uncountable, plural virtualisms)

(Christianity) The view, believed to have been held by Calvin and other church reformers contrary to the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, that the bread and wine (in Christian Holy Communion) do not literally transform into flesh and blood but are the medium or mechanism through which the spiritual or immaterial essence of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ are received.


vajra

vajra (countable and uncountable, plural vajras)

From Sanskrit वज्र (vájra). Doublet of waker; see there for more.

At the centre is a five-pronged vajra draped and bound with a coloured silk scarf, representing one of the Five Buddha wisdoms or activities.

2004, Robert Beér, The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs, page 239:

(countable) A Buddhist ceremonial mace and symbol, usually interpreted as both a diamond and a thunderbolt.

Those five principles or buddha families are called vajra, ratna, padma, karma, and buddha.

1981, Chögyam Trungpa, Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha, page 78:

(uncountable) One of the five central Buddhist principles, representing indestructible substance that cuts and penetrates through emotional instability or uncertainty.

(Rigveda, Hindu mythology) The weapon of Indra, the god of heaven and the chief deity of the Rigvedic pantheon, used to kill sinners and ignorant persons.


plygain

plygain (usually uncountable, plural plygains)

A Welsh custom of singing carols at dawn on Christmas morning.


charmstone

A mineral specimen used in various cultural and spiritual traditions for its supposed mystical energies.


Christogram

From Christo- + gram, c. 1900, adopted from German Christogramm, in c. 1860 as portmanteau or abbreviation of the slightly older (1840s) and more formal compound Christusmonogramm, translating the Medieval Latin monogramma Christi. English literature before 1900 used compositional "Monogram of Christ" or the rare chrismon. First attested in the 1860s.
The plural Christograms is recorded in the 1950s and also rare.

Had he [the creator of a Pompeiian mosaic] been a Christian, he would certainly have given expression to his faith by some definite Christian symbol, — the fish or the ΑΩ, or the Christogram.

1903, P. C., chapter 17, in The Open Court, page 185:

About thirty of these [markings on Pompeiian amphorae] appear to be either the so-called christograms […] or other monograms disturbingly reminiscent of the various christograms

1978, W. O. Moeller, “Marks Names and Numbers”, in Boer, editor, Hommages a Maarten J. Vermaseren, page 813:

A monogram that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol, such as the chi-rho.


Khnum

One of the earliest Egyptian gods. He is said to be the source of the Nile River.


jamaat

/d͡ʒəˈmɑː(ʔ)ət/

(Islam) Party; community; group; assembly.

(Islam) A group of Muslims offering prayers together.


Ptah

(Egyptian mythology) A god of creativity and craftsmen, sometimes also identified with the gods of death and the birth of the sun.


frim

en-adj

frim (comparative more frim, superlative most frim)

more frim (comparative)
most frim (superlative)


YHWH

The deity worshipped in Abrahamitic religions, Yahweh, called Adonai in Judaism due to a taboo on using the full name, and God and the Lord in Christianity.


come to Jesus

en-verb

come to Jesus (third-person singular simple present comes to Jesus, present participle coming to Jesus, simple past came to Jesus, past participle come to Jesus)

comes to Jesus (present singular third-person)
coming to Jesus (participle present)
came to Jesus (past)
come to Jesus (participle past)

(idiomatic, Christianity) To experience or display a conversion or recommitment to Christianity or to undergo a related ritual, especially public confession of one's sins or weaknesses.


come-to-Jesus

(idiomatic, Christianity) Relating to a Christian conversion, recommitment, or associated ritual, especially public confession.


day of reckoning

en-noun

day of reckoning (plural days of reckoning)

(religion) The final and eternal judgment by God of all nations; Final Judgment.


akhirah

From Arabic الآخِرَة (al-ʔāḵira, “the hereafter”).


Continent

the whole Continent of Europe, Asia, Africa.

(UK, Ireland) Mainland Europe, as seen from the British Isles.


dogman

From dog (“the domesticated mammal Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris”) + -man (suffix denoting someone (possibly implied male) who is an expert in an area, who is employed or holds a position in an area, or who takes part in an activity) or man (senses 2 and 3).

suffix

[T]his tradition certainly influenced that of Dog-Men (cynanthropy) and of dog-headed men (cynocephaly), […] Dog-Men, however, have historically enjoyed a much richer and more varied mythology than their lycanthropic cousins, no doubt as a result of the ambiguity of the dog itself as much as of cultural or historical trends.

1991, David Gordon White, “Hell is Other People”, in Myths of the Dog-man, Chicago, Ill., London: University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, page 15:

A dogman’s legs are back bent, crooked as a dog’s. Its body is covered in fine fur, and its face has a dog-like snout and ear. A dogman’s arms and torso are completely humanoid, save for the its strange paws, that are vaguely human-like, but with thick dark claws.

2002, Sovereign Stone: Bestiary of Loerem, Lake Geneva, Wis.: Sovereign Press, →ISBN, page 56, column 1:

I was interested in the Wisconsin dogman sightings, which were kind of scary, but when you started talking about the ones showing up in bedrooms I must have been agape and my hair [standing] on end.

2016, Linda S. Godfrey, quoting Matt Ballotti, “Shadow Wolves”, in Monsters among Us: An Exploration of Otherworldly Bigfoots, Wolfmen, Portals, Phantoms, and Odd Phenomena, New York, N.Y.: TarcherPerigee, →ISBN, pages 95–96:

Sightings of mysterious creatures that appear to be part human and part wolf are reported in modern times all over the world. […] Their apparent hybrid nature makes them “dogmen” or “man-wolves.” […] Reports of dogmen date to ancient times. In some cases, they were thought to be a type of debased human.

2018, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, “Introduction: An Overview of Werewolves and Their Kin”, in Rosemary Ellen Guiley, editor, Fate Presents Werewolves and Dogmen, New Milford, Conn.: Visionary Living, →ISBN:

(cryptozoology, mythology) An alleged cryptid or mythological creature that is part dog and part man; also (religion) a deity who is part dog and part man.


al-Quds

From Arabic الْقُدْس (al-quds, “the Holiness”), short for مَدِينَة الْقُدْس (madīna(t) al-quds, “City of the Holiness”).

der

(chiefly used by Muslims and Arabs) Synonym of Jerusalem.


divine service

(countable, Christianity) A service of public Christian worship.


skydaddy

Go on, believe your little book, let it tell you what to do, and when things go bad, cry to your skydaddy, I don't give a fuck.

1998, "Alexander Carlton", Random Thoghts VIII v. 2.1 (on Internet newsgroup rec.music.hip-hop)

No, actually, I'm a sex addict. But at least that's not as bad as being addicted to imaginary skydaddies. :)

2000, Nat, “Get high on God”, in alt.religion.christian-teen (Usenet):

We as intelligent beings have determined all of known time right up to .000001 seconds to the beginning. Give those in the search a little time, and the answer will be there. Problem is, those with beliefs in skydaddies won't accept it. And they still have a hold on you.

2001, Bob Simmons, “Questions Theists Ask Me”, in talk.religion.misc (Usenet):

(derogatory slang) Alternative form of sky daddy: a god; God.


bentsher

(Judaism) A booklet containing grace after meals and often other blessings and prayers related to mealtime.


dhimmitude

c. 1985, from French (c. 1982), from dhimmi + -tude.

The most likely scenario for Europe isn't dhimmitude; it's a long period of tension, punctuated by spasms of violence, that makes the Continent a more unpleasant place without fundamentally transforming it.

2009 December 7, Ross Douthat, “Europe's Minaret Moment”, in New York Times:

(derogatory) Appeasement towards Islamic demands.


Closetgate

From closet + -gate; from the name of the South Park television episode "Trapped in the Closet" (referring to the figurative "closet" that homosexuals who have not disclosed their sexual orientation are said to be in).

Closetgate is heating up! Paramount has joined Tom Cruise's public relations rep in denying reports that the movie star strong-armed the studio into spiking a "South Park" episode that ridicules him and Scientology.

2006 March 18, Scott Collins, “Clamor outside `South Park' closet”, in Los Angeles Times:

The Los Angeles Times dubbed the flap Closetgate. "For Stone and Parker, Closetgate will be the gift that keeps on giving," it said.

2006 March 19, David Usborne, “South Park declares war on Tom Cruise”, in The Independent:

Viacom says it's dropping actor Tom Cruise for his strange behaviour. You fans will remember the South Park 'Closetgate' episode and 'couch incident' on the popular talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show of May 23, 2005.

2006 August 23, Anu Anand, “Congo, Iran & Tom Cruise”, in BBC World Service:

Dubbed Closetgate, Comedy Central, a network owned by Viacom, pulled a rerun of this Emmy-nominated episode, supposedly under pressure from Tom Cruise, who threatened to bail out of promoting his upcoming film "Mission: Impossible III," which was being released by Paramount, a division of Viacom.

2009, David Lake, “The 10 Most Controversial 'South Park' Episodes”, in MSN TV, archived from the original on 2009-04-06:

Matt Stone and Trey Parker – the show’s fearless creators – were not afraid to call out Cruise on his power play – being dubbed “Closetgate” by The L.A. Times – even taking out ads, proclaiming tongue-in-cheek that they themselves were "servants of Xenu" and that the "million-year war for Earth" had only just begun, presumably now that their show had been screwed with backdoor deals.

2009, “Tom Cruise - Biography”, in Turner Classic Movies:

Loony toon ... Controversy erupted in March over a South Park episode that made light of Tom's religion, Scientology. The LA Times dubbed it "Closetgate" as Comedy Central pulled the episode at the last minute.

2009, “Off-screen antics cost Cruise”, in Herald-Sun:

A scandal following the airing of the South Park television episode "Trapped in the Closet", which was a satirical parody of Scientology and Scientologist actor Tom Cruise.


truti

At every moment of time — i.e., in every Truti — there are millions of Trutis — perfect organisms — in space. This may require some explanation. The units of time and space are the same — a Truti. Take any one Truti of time. It is well known […]

1897, Rāma Prasāda, The Science of Breath and the Philosophy of the Tattvas, page 80:

The Surya-Siddhanta (1.10-21) differentiates kala (time) primarily in two forms (i) murtakala (real time) and (ii) umurtakula (unreal time), taking prdna (4 seconds) and truti (atom) as the smallest units respectively, whereas Bhaskara II in his […]

1988, Kapila Vatsyayan, Bettina Bäumer, Kalātattvakośa: A Lexicon of Fundamental Concepts of the Indian Arts, Motilal Banarsidass Publishe, →ISBN, page 219:

(2 1-3),, we have 1 atom (truti ?) of time =6 paramanukalas (atom times) But from table (2.1-7), we have 1 truti =18 paramanukalas (atoms times), and 1 trasarenu =6 paramankalas (atoms times) Therefore it appears that an atom (truti ?) of time […]

(Hinduism) A unit of time equal to about 30 microseconds.


Valli

(Hinduism) One of the two consorts of Murugan, the god of war.


mahr

en-noun

mahr (countable and uncountable, plural mahrs)

(Islam) A mandatory gift from the groom to the bride upon marriage in Islamic cultures.

مَهْر

a mandatory gift from the groom to the bride upon marriage in Islamic cultures


Bathshua

(rare) A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Urias

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Uriah

From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִיָּה ('ūriyyā, literally “God is my light”).

uder

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 11:15:

Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and misinterpreting Holy Scriptures and numerous examples of mercy. We remember God’s forgiveness of Cain, who killed Abel, and the adulterer King David, who arranged the killing of Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, his lover.

2014, Jimmy Carter, “Full Prisons and Legal Killing”, in A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 39:

(biblical) The husband of Bathsheba whom David sent to death.


Bathsheba

From Hebrew בַּת שֶׁבַע (bat shéva', “daughter of an oath”), from בַּת (bát, “daughter”) + שֶׁבַע (shéva, “oath”).

af

3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 11:3:

(biblical) In the Old Testament, the wife of Uriah and later of David.


Charlie Brown tree

en-noun

Charlie Brown tree (plural Charlie Brown trees)

A reference to the animated television special A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) based on the comic strip Peanuts by American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000), in which the title character Charlie Brown picks an unattractive Christmas tree to decorate. The selection of the tree represents a protest against the commercialization of Christmas.

There is a place in our Christmas for a Charlie Brown tree—as the Children's Tree.

1985, Lasley F. Gober, The Christmas Lover’s Handbook, or, How to Plan the Merriest Christmas—Ever!, White Hall, Va.: Betterway Publications, →ISBN, page 137:

As Regina put it, "It was the ugliest, skinniest Charlie Brown tree you ever saw."

1998, Liz Curtis Higgs, “Humor and Marriage: Are You Married to a Funny-baked Ham?”, in Help! I’m Laughing and I Can’t Get Up: Forty Reasons Why Life is More Fun after the Big 4-0, Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers, →ISBN, page 89:

Trees grown in the wild are naturally sparser trees with fewer branches. In the industry these are sometimes referred to as "Charlie Brown trees," after the pathetic, droopy specimen that Charlie Brown selected for the Christmas pageant in his eponymous cartoon classic.

2005, Kevin Cuddihy, Phillip Metcalfe, “O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree: All about Christmas Trees”, in Christmas’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Kris Kringles, Merry Jingles, and Holiday Cheer, Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, →ISBN, page 44:

She liked to think of it as a Charlie Brown tree, worthy of pity, not just a plain old ugly tree.

2005, Janell M. Ramos, Waiting for Odysseus, 2nd edition, Visalia, Calif.: Goddess Guild Publishing, →ISBN, page 136:

By today's standards these "Charlie Brown" trees of my childhood were haphazardly decorated creations at best; but to my brother, sisters and I, they were some of the most beautiful creations we had ever laid eyes on.

2011 December, J. D. Eident, “Cedar-scented Memories (This Story Appeared in the December 2011 Edition of the ‘Good Old Days’ Magazine)”, in Once More a Mindful Gatherin’ (In Verse & Prose), [United States]: J. D. Eident, published 2012, →ISBN, page 213:

A Christmas tree considered unattractive and undesirable by normal standards, often small and sparse.

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Charles M. Schulz
Charlie Brown
Peanuts


like turkeys voting for Christmas

En-au-like turkeys voting for Christmas.ogg

Because turkeys are commonly eaten at Christmas, turkeys voting for (an early) Christmas would be hastening their own death. The phrase is thought to have been coined by the British Liberal Party politician David Penhaligon (1944–1986) who used it to express opposition to the 1977 Lib–Lab pact. It was popularized by the British Prime Minister James Callaghan (1912–2005) who used it in the House of Commons in March 1979 when his Labour Party lost a vote of no confidence: see the 1977 and 1979 quotations.

coinage

The next morning [14 December 1977] the Liberals held a two-and-a-half meeting at which Steel let them have their head. Only two MPs, Howells and Johnston, said they were willing to continue the Pact. The opponents were delighted. […] ‘Us voting for the Pact is like a turkey voting for Christmas’, said David Penhaligon

[1977 December 14, Alistair Michie, Simon Hoggart, “The Wispy Beards Strike Back”, in The Pact: The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977–8, London: Quartet Books, published 1978, →ISBN, page 156:

The minority parties have walked into a trap. If they win, there will be a general election. I am told that the current joke going around the House is that it is the first time in recorded history that turkeys have been known to vote for an early Christmas.

[1979 March 28, James Callaghan, Prime Minister, “Her Majesty’s Government (Opposition Motion)”, in House of Commons Debates (House of Commons of the United Kingdom), volume 965, London: Parliament of the United Kingdom, archived from the original on 2022-12-07, column 471:

Many of the responses to proposals, particularly regarding deregulation, were unsupported: it would have been like turkeys voting for Christmas in some respects.

1998, Philip Allmendinger, Huw Thomas, “Conclusions”, in Philip Allmendinger, Huw Thomas, editors, Urban Planning and the British New Right, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 247:

Bear in mind, however, that for some purchasing people, deciding to use an agent is a little like turkeys voting for Christmas.

2001, Trevor Kitching, “The Internet – the New Frontier for Scam Merchants”, in Purchasing Scams and How to Avoid Them, Aldershot, Hampshire, Burlington, Vt.: Gower Publishing, →ISBN, page 90:

The anti-divorce rallying cry of Fine Gael’s Alice Glenn, ‘Women voting for divorce is like turkeys voting for Christmas’, captured the sense of fear felt by many at the economic consequences of divorce for women.

2002, Frances Gardiner, Mary O’Dowd, “The Women’s Movement and Women Politicians in the Republic of Ireland, 1980–2000: Introduction”, in Angela Bourke et al., editors, The Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, volumes V (Irish Women’s Writing and Traditions), New York, N.Y.: New York University Press, →ISBN, page 233, column 1:

like turkeys voting for an early Christmas

(British, simile, humorous, of an action) Self-defeating; serving to bring about a situation detrimental to the performer of the action.

James Callaghan
Lib–Lab pact
Oxford University Press

sahata omaa oksaansa

of an action: self-defeating or serving to bring about a situation detrimental to the performer

scier la branche sur laquelle on est assis

肉屋を支持する豚 (nikuya wo shijisuru buta, literally “pigs who support butchers”)

пчёлы про́тив мёда (pčóly prótiv mjóda, literally “bees against honey”)


boxing day

(business, marketing) The day or days (boxing week) following Christmas (December 25th) when stores have large reductions.


boxing week

Derived from boxing day (“the day after Christmas”).

(business, marketing) The period after Christmas (December 25th) until New Year's (or longer), when stores offer large discounts.


yatra

Thousands of activists and vehicles therefore diffused quietly out of Delhi in the following days to reassemble in a yatra that now swelled to 40–50,000 people.

1999, Thomas Blom Hansen, The Saffron Wave: Democracy and Hindu Nationalism in Modern India, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 261:

By calling this little stroll a yatra I am making a mild joke to myself, because in India a yatra can be a grueling expedition such as a hike to the top of Mount Kailas in the Himalayas.

2002, John Ittner, Lighting the Lamp of Wisdom: a Week Inside a Yoga Ashram, SkyLight Paths Publishing, →ISBN, page 80:

At the inauguration of this temple a yatra for her was performed attracting again a big part of Chatamput's mostly female inhabitants, who all claimed that Kondamakalamma now is the "real" goddess of the village.

2005, Christian Strümpell, “Forts and Camps in Tribal Orissa: Kshatriyaization and Industrialization Compared”, in Georg Pfeffer, editor, Contemporary Society: Identity, Intervention and Ideology in Tribal India and Beyond, volume 7, Concept Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 71:

I thus wonder whether the yatra was not primarily "efficient" for the upper middle classes who - physically removed from direct participation - enjoyed the BJP going on a yatra, presenting them with ready-made edutainment about nationality, easy to digest, without much physical and mental effort.

2006, Ritual and Identity: Performative Practices as Effective Transformations of Social Reality, volume 8, LIT Verlag Berlin-Hamburg-Münster, →ISBN, page 287:


Suiten

Borrowed from Japanese 水(すい)天(てん) (Suiten, literally “water deva”).

ja-r

(Japanese Buddhism) Japanese translation for Varuna.


Jack Mormon

The term was first used in the 1830s by Mormons in Missouri to describe non-Mormons who were friendly to Mormons living in their community. The meaning subsequently shifted.

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who believes in the premises of the faith but does not adhere to the church's standards of conduct, such as its prohibition of the consumption of alcohol, coffee, and tobacco.


Chrismahanukwanzakah

Etymology tree
English Christmasblend.
English Hanukkahblend.
English Kwanzaablend.
English ChrismahanukwanzakahBlend of Christmas + Hanukkah + Kwanzaa.

etymon

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! Merry HanuKwanzMas! (Whew... that covers everyone, right?)

2005 December, “Diversity Calendar 2006”, in Cincinati Magazine, volume 39, number 3, Emmis Communications, →ISSN, page 66:

How could Fox ever win its holiday war now? Surely all would be lost, and the nation would be forced to endure another Chrismahanukwanzakah.

2007, Joseph Minton Amann, Tom Breuer, Fair and Balanced, My Ass!: An Unbridled Look at the Bizarre Reality of Fox News, →ISBN, page 247:

Have a Blessed Chrismahanukwanzakah and a Spectacular New Year!

2009 December 16, "John H", “Approval ratings not the best...”, in rec.boats (Usenet):

(humorous) A fictional holiday in December combining aspects of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa into one festival.


mullahcracy

en-noun

mullahcracy (usually uncountable, plural mullahcracies)

[…] a firm stand against Mullahcracy is essential for the political and religious health of the country.

1953, New Statesman, volume 45, page 474:

[…] officials of the ruling mullahcracy threaten to haul one of the French diplomats before an Islamic court on charges of espionage.

1987 August 30, “Khomeini's Guile”, in Boston Globe:

He said that, unfortunately, the mullahcracy is politicising religion to serve their selfish ends.

2009 October 21, “‘Govt-mullah axis leading to anarchy’”, in Daily Times:

Rule by Islamic religious leaders, or mullahs.


Jair

/d͡ʒəˈɪə̯(r)/

From Middle English Jair, Iair, from Old English Iāirus, from Latin Iaīrus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάϊρ (Iáïr), from Biblical Hebrew יָאִיר (yāʾîr, literally “he will light up”). Doublet of Jairus.

der

And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 10:3:


Melkite

From Latin Melchita, from Byzantine Greek Μελχίτης (Melkhítēs), from Classical Syriac ܡܠܟܝܐ (malkāyāʾ, “royal; royalist”) + Byzantine Greek -ῑ́της (-ī́tēs). See these for more.

uder

[...] increasingly a majority in the Egyptian Church as well as other strongholds of Miaphysitism denounced Chalcedonian Christians as ‘Dyophysites’ and sneered at them as ‘the emperor's people’ – Melchites.

2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, page 233:

(historical) In 5th-century Syria and Egypt, a sobriquet applied to Chalcedonians by their opponents, denoting the Chalcedonians' fidelity to the Byzantine emperor.

(since the Great Schism) A member of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch or the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem; ellipsis of Orthodox Melkite.

(since 1724) A member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; ellipsis of Catholic Melkite.


Tirzah

Borrowed from Hebrew תִּרְצָה (tirtsáh), meaning "pleasant" or "she is my delight".

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.


noa

The power of the spoken word has meant that some dangerous things are not mentioned by their "real" names, but by noa terms, like gullfot (literally "golden foot") for "wolf", or tallbjörn (literally "pine bear"), granoxe (literally: "fir ox"), trädräv (literally: "tree fox") or granälg (literally: "fir elk") for "squirrel".

(New Zealand, among the Maori) Non-sacred; such that it must be kept separate from what is taboo.


ERV

(biblical) Initialism of English Revised Version.


awrath

From the Arabic عَوْرَة (ʕawra, “imperfection”, “nakedness”), from عَوِرَ (ʕawira, “to lose an eye”).

bor

(Islam) Those parts of one’s body which must be covered for decency, the identification of which various according to sect and circumstance (for example, a woman covers different parts around men than around women).


muscular Christianity

Yet even though the attempt was made to transform the church and Sunday school along these lines, the ideals of muscular Christianity were perhaps most efficiently diffused through a proliferation of Christian youth organizations for boys.

2001, Priscilla Ferguson Clement, Jacqueline S. Reinier, Boyhood in America, Abc-Clio Incorporated, →ISBN:

(Christianity) A movement of Victorian origin stressing the need for energetic Christian activism in combination with an ideal of vigorous masculinity.

cristianismo muscular

Victorian movement stressing the need for energetic Christian activism and an ideal of vigorous masculinity


aspergillum

en-noun

aspergillum (plural aspergilla or aspergillums)

aspergilla (plural)
aspergillums (plural)

/ˌæspəɹˈd͡ʒɪləm/

From Latin aspergillum, from aspergō (“sprinkle”).

The king’s authority held sway not only over the knight’s mighty sword, but also over the episcopal cross and aspergillum: for the bishops plied back and forth between court and province like all the other lords.

1994, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, “Introduction: Classic Monarchy”, in Juliet Vale, transl., The Royal French State, 1460-1610, page 6:

holy water sprinkler
holy water sprinkler

(Christianity) An implement, in the form of a brush, or of a rod with a perforated container, for sprinkling holy water; a holy water sprinkler.


kyrk

kyrk (countable and uncountable, plural kyrks)

From Northern Middle English kyrk, kyrke, from chirche, from Old English ċiriċe (“church”), from Proto-West Germanic *kirikā, an early borrowing of Ancient Greek κυριακόν (kuriakón).

Saint Ambroſe, when the Emperor invaded his Kyrk, and the people were ready to make reſcue, ſo farre as that the Invaders could not have ſuſtained their force ; […]

1639, Thomas Lord Bishop of Duresme [i.e., Thomas Morton], “They that reſiſt ſhall receive to themſelves Damnation”, in A Sermon Preached Before the Kings Moſt Excellent Majestie, in the Cathedrall Church of Durham. […], Robert Barker, page 36:

1. First, That Images are not to be had in the Kyrk, nor to be worſhipped.

1644, John Knox, The Historie of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland; […], London: […] John Raworth for George Thomason and Octavian Pullen […], page 2:

All things given in hoſpitality, all rents pertaining to Prieſts and Chanteries, Colledges, Chappelries, Fryeries of all orders, the ſiſters of the Seynes, all which ought to be retained ſtill in the uſe of the Kyrk. Give them but leave to take their breath, ard expect the reſt: The whole revenues of the temporalties of the Biſhops, Deans, and Arch-deans lands, and all rents pertaining to Cathedral Kyrks. Then ſuppoſing an objection that the poſſeſſours had leaſes and eſtates, they anſwer,that thoſe who made them were thieves and murtherers, and had no power to alienate the common good of the Kyrk.

1659, Henry Stubbe, A Letter to an Officer of the Army Concerning a Select Senate […], London: […] T. B. […], page 17:

(Christianity, Northern England, Scotland) Obsolete spelling of kirk.


theogony

Borrowed from Ancient Greek θεογονία (theogonía).

This Phoenician history includes the cosmogony and theogony of the Phoenicians. In the theogony, Ourianos (Sky) has four children by his wife-sister Gē (Earth): Ēlos (interpreted as Kronos), Baitlos, Dagōn (Sitōn), and Atlas.

1939, J. Philip Hyatt, “The Deity Bethel and the Old Testament”, in Journal of the American Oriental Society, volume 59, number 1, page 86:

(chiefly in ancient religion) The origination of gods or a narrative describing the origin of gods.


Vajrayana

Borrowed from Sanskrit वज्रयान (vajrayāna, literally “Diamond/Thunderbolt Vehicle”), in reference to the supposed power, clarity, and difficulty of its methods for attaining Buddhahood.


Mahayana

/ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/

/ˌmʌhəˈjɑːnə/

Borrowed from Sanskrit महायान (mahāyāna, literally “Great Vehicle”).

(Buddhism) A school of Buddhism widely practised in East Asia and Vietnam which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, recognizes a broader array of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and whose spiritual objective is to achieve Buddhahood and liberate other beings, rather than simply to achieve personal enlightenment, as in Theravada Buddhism.


Hinayana

Transliteration of Sanskrit हीनयान (hīnayāna, “lesser vehicle”).

translit

1913, Buddhism, article in Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 3: Brownson–Clairvaux,
It was known as the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, in distinction to the other and earlier form of Buddhism contemptuously styled the Hinayana or Little Vehicle, which held its own in the South.

1921, Charles Eliot, Hinduism And Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Volume II, Book IV: The Mahayana, 2005 Gutenberg Ebook edition,
The obscurest period in the history of Buddhism is that which follows the reign of Asoka, but the enquirer cannot grope for long in these dark ages without stumbling upon the word Mahayana. […] The word_([1]) signifies Great Vehicle or Carriage, that is a means of conveyance to salvation, and is contrasted with Hinayana, the Little Vehicle, a name bestowed on the more conservative party though not willingly accepted by them.

"Do it yourself" is a modern phrase which expresses the Hinayana way to salvation.

1979, Ward J. Fellows, Religions East and West, page 171:


CYLOR

Initialism of consult your local Orthodox rabbi.

(Judaism, Internet) Used to encourage the addressee to rely upon his rabbi's, rather than others', answers to questions of religious import.

RTFM

encouraging appeal to a specific better source


Madhyamika

(Buddhism) The central philosophy of Buddhism that was systematized by Nagarjuna. It establishes that all phenomena are empty of independent reality.


Buddha-nature

en-noun

Buddha-nature (countable and uncountable, plural Buddha-natures)

(Buddhism) The potential of achieving the nature of the Buddha through study and religious practice.

佛性

the potential of achieving the nature of the Buddha through study and religious practice


euhemeristic

From euhemerist + -ic, from euhemerism, from Latin Euhemerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

A consistent Euhemeristic interpretation of a poet's allusions to his own movements would often lead us to strange results.

1879, F. D. Morice, Pindar, chapter 3, page 37:


euhemerist

en-adj

euhemerist (comparative more euhemerist, superlative most euhemerist)

more euhemerist (comparative)
most euhemerist (superlative)

From euhemerism + -ist, from Latin Euhemerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

Synonym of euhemeristic: of or related to euhemerism.


euhemerism

en-noun

euhemerism (usually uncountable, plural euhemerisms)

From Euhemerus + -ism, ultimately from Latin Euhēmerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

In regard to the Thracian god Zalmosis, the Hellespontic Greeks interpreted his character and attributes according to the scheme of Euemerism.

1846, George Grote, History of Greece, volume I, page 596:

Then again there was a period of what is sometimes called Euhemerism - the theory that the gods and goddesses had actually once been men and women, historical characters round whom a halo of romance and remoteness had gathered.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 10:

(uncountable) The belief that legends and mythology arise from exaggerated descriptions of historical people and events.

يُوهَيْمِرِيَّة

attribution of a historical origin to myths and legends


BHS

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
w:en:Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia

(biblical) Initialism of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia., an annotated edition of the Leningrad Codex, an important early Hebrew biblical manuscript.


FSM

FSM (countable and uncountable, plural FSMs)

finite-state machine
finite-state machine#English

(countable, computing) Initialism of finite-state machine.


monachism

monachism (countable and uncountable, plural monachisms)

From Late Latin monachus (“monk”) + -ism.

That wealth and splendour have not the charms that you ascribe to them with the bulk of mankind, is evident even from the history of Monachism, one of the corruptions of christianity.

1791, Joseph Priestley, Letters to Burke, section VI:


seven seals

(biblical) The seals that secure the book or scroll that John of Patmos saw in an apocalyptic vision.


millenarianism

millenarianism (countable and uncountable, plural millenarianisms)

/ˌmɪ.lɪˈnɛə.ɹɪ.əˌnɪz.əm/

From millenarian + -ism. Compare millenarism, millennianism, millennialism.

It is hard to say for certain just why this brief but notable shift from passive to active millenarianism should have occurred during the Interregnum.

1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 139:

When Herman Melvilled visited , he was fascinated yet repulsed by the 'contagion' of American Christian millenarianism – 'this preposterous Jewmania', he called it, 'half-melancholy, half-farcical'.

2011, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography – A History of the Middle East, page 406:

A belief in a coming religious millennium, especially (Christianity) the belief in a coming thousand-year reign of peace heralded by the Second Coming of Christ; utopianism, belief in a coming era of peace and prosperity.


Iron Cross

Germans marked booby-trapped areas with black-and-white signs, bearing an Iron Cross symbol or a death's-head.

2013, Gordon L. Rottman, World War II Allied Sabotage Devices and Booby Traps, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 56:

(military) (formerly) the second highest military decoration of Germany, under the military order of the Pour le Mérite, or the cross pattée shape of this decoration.

Star of the Grand Cross to the Iron Cross

Star of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross


cognite

en-verb

cognite (third-person singular simple present cognites, present participle cogniting, simple past and past participle cognited)

cognites (present singular third-person)
cogniting (participle present)
cognited (participle past)
cognited (past)

I abruptly cognited that "Have You Lived Before this Life?" was our first new book in two years.

1959 April 27, L. Ron Hubbard, “HCO Policy Letter of 27 April 1959: Why New Books Are Few”, in The Organization Executive Course: An Encyclopedia of Scientology Policy, volume 2, published 1974, →ISBN, page 21:

Unlike psychoanalysis or psychiatry, the person (auditor) treating another person never evaluates for them. The processes used are intended to allow the person to cognite on his sins or wrongdoings and change his ways.

1963 February 11, C. C. Morley, “[Letter to Edward V. Long]”, in Invasions of Privacy (Government Agencies): Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure […] United States Senate, Eighty-Ninth Congress, First Session […], volume 2, published 1965, page 794:

One requirement, before a preclear can advance beyond a particular level, is that he should "cognite" on everything scientological up to that stage, and a failure to satisfy the organization that one has a reality on all relevant scientology theory to that stage delays the issue of the HPA certificate.

1965, Kevin Victor Anderson, Report of the Board of Inquiry Into Scientology, page 82; republished as “Chapter 12: The Teaching of Scientology”, in Martin Poulter, editor, The Anderson Report, 1997:

(intransitive, Scientology) To become aware, or think so as to become aware, of some fundamental truth.


Zelophehad

From Hebrew צְלָפְחָד (ts'lofchád, “Zelophehad”).

bor

And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

(very rare outside the Bible) A male given name from Hebrew.


apolysis

From Ancient Greek ἀπόλυσις (apólusis, “discharge; literally, absolution”).

(religion) A prayer of dismissal at the end of an Eastern Orthodox service

apolyse

a prayer of dismissal at the end of an Eastern Orthodox service


Christological

en-adj

Christological (comparative more Christological, superlative most Christological)

more Christological (comparative)
most Christological (superlative)

(theology) Of or pertaining to Christology


Mariology

en-noun

Mariology (countable and uncountable, plural Mariologies)

[…]In Mariology nearly all theological lines are found together: the Christological line, the ecclesiological, the anthropological, and the eschatological.

2020 [2008], Richard Chonak, Introduction to Mariology, Catholic University of America Press, translation of Introduzione alla Mariologia by Manfred Hauke, →ISBN, page 3:

The theological study of the Virgin Mary.


antediluvial

en-adj

antediluvial (comparative more antediluvial, superlative most antediluvial)

more antediluvial (comparative)
most antediluvial (superlative)

Early 18th c., ante- + diluvial, possibly as alteration of earlier antediluvian.

(biblical) Of or pertaining to a time before Noah's flood.


Mount Megiddo

A hill in modern Israel near the kibbutz of Megiddo, known for its historical, geographical, and theological importance.


beatus

(religion) A person who has been beatified.


bitheism

A form of dualism that recognizes two deities which are not in conflict or opposition (as good vs evil) but rather are in two exclusive forms or states (like male and female).


annihilationism

(theology) The Christian doctrine that sinners are permanently destroyed rather than being confined to Hell.


Bethesda

From Aramaic בֵּית חַסְדָּא (bēṯ ḥasdā, “House of Grace”).

der

בֵּית חַסְדָּא

(biblical) A pool in Jerusalem mentioned in the New Testament.


probabiliorism

(religion, philosophy) The belief that man is fated to do what is almost certainly correct.

Coordinate term: probabilism

(theology) The position that it is not lawful to act on a less safe opinion in moral matters unless it is more probable than a safe opinion.


Perun

The highest god in the pantheon of Slavic mythology, the god of thunder and lightning.


Megiddo

Mount Megiddo, site of an ancient city in northern Israel's Jezreel valley


claustral

en-adj

claustral (comparative more claustral, superlative most claustral)

more claustral (comparative)
most claustral (superlative)

Based on Latin claustrum (“cloister”). Doublet of cloistral.

(anatomy) Relating to the claustrum of the brain.


Yid

Yidden (plural)
Yidn (plural)
Yids (plural)

From Yiddish ייִד (yid, “Jew”). Doublet of Jew.

Erdman's response is confessional, 'I am a Yid... I am! My father was a Yid. Please believe me!' (p. 211).

2016, Mark Ledbetter, Victims and the Postmodern Narrative or Doing Violence to the Body, page 84:

Cause a yid never breaks, and a yid never bends, and a yid never gives up in the night

“You're a fucking Jew, Grünbaum!” Frege yelled. “A miserable, fucking Yid.”

(soccer, informal) A supporter or club member of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.


Lateran

A church and palace in Rome; used attributively to describe several councils and treaties


Christian soldier

en-noun

Christian soldier (plural Christian soldiers)

From Christian + soldier; after Ephesians 6:10-17, where spiritual strengths are compared to the accoutrements of a soldier.

The Christian Soldier should never fail to read his Bible;

1878, Charles Walford, The Christian soldier's manual of prayer, page 8:

(figuratively) A devout and zealous Christian, especially one who proselytizes.


Eastery

en-adj

Eastery (comparative more Eastery, superlative most Eastery)

more Eastery (comparative)
most Eastery (superlative)


Paschal troparion

en-noun

Paschal troparion (plural Paschal troparia)

(Christianity) In the Eastern Orthodox church, a traditional hymn sung at Easter (Pascha)


Easter egg roll

Easter egg roll (plural Easter egg rolls)

A competition, held at Easter, in which an egg is pushed along a lawn.