Vocabulary : APOTROPAIC Pronunciation: æ-pê-trê-PAY-ik Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: Capable of warding off evil or bad luck, protecting against misfortune. Notes: Apotropaism is the process of dispelling evil with magic. An apotropaism is the amulet, talisman, incantation, or spell that supposedly dispels it. Applying mysticism apotropaically should keep you evil- and misfortune-free for as long as the magic lasts. [Link 1] CLICK HERE for a glossary of mysical beliefs. In Play: Some Haitians apparently consider human heads to be apotropaic: in 2006 a woman of Haitian origin was arrested by US Customs when a head was discovered in her suitcase ([Link 2] CLICK HERE FOR PROOF). However, people who believe that voodoo or other magic can ward off evil and misfortune differ in exactly what they believe an effective apotropaism is: Ty Kuhn considers money the best apotropaism-if you have enough of it. Meanness sometimes works in milder situations: Phillipa Bird returned from her unsuccessful sales trip with an apotropaic scowl on her face. Word History: Todays Good Word comes from Greek apotropaios, a word borrowed and kept alive in modern Hebrew as apitropos guardian, trustee.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 15:54:55 +0000
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