Table of Contents
The word for today is…
numinous (adjective):
1: supernatural, mysterious
2: filled with a sense of the presence of divinity : holy
3: appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense : spiritual
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : When people of the 1600s were ruminating on an adjective to reflect their awe of the mystical and supernatural elements of their experiences, they gave the nod to numinous, and quite aptly so. Numinous comes from the Latin word numen, which can mean both “a nod of the head” and “divine will,” the latter sense suggesting a figurative divine nod indicating approval or command. (English users were already using the noun numen, a direct borrowing from Latin, to refer to a spiritual force or influence associated with a particular place or phenomenon.) Numinous is not a common or everyday word, which seems fitting for one used to describe what is far from quotidian, and instead part of the realm of the spiritual, the holy, or the transcendent.
If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.
