hermetic

[ hur-met-ik ]

adjective

1. made airtight by fusion or sealing.
2. not affected by outward influence or power; isolated.
3. (sometimes initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of occult science, especially alchemy.
4. (initial capital letter) of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings ascribed to him.

Hermetic

¹

/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the writings and teachings ascribed to him
2. of or relating to ancient science, esp alchemy
3. esoteric or recondite

hermetic

²

/ hɜːˈmɛtɪk /

adjective

1. sealed so as to be airtight
2. hidden or protected from the outside world

Derived Forms

• herˈmetically, adverb

Other Words From

• unher·metic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hermetic¹

1630–40; < Medieval Latin hermēticus of, pertaining to Hermes Trismegistus, equivalent to Latin Hermē ( s ) Hermes + -ticus -tic

Word History and Origins

Origin of hermetic¹

see hermetic

Origin of hermetic²

C17: from Medieval Latin hermēticus belonging to Hermes Trismegistus , traditionally the inventor of a magic seal

Example Sentences

Courogen, a journalist and visual content director based in New York, reached out countless times to May’s “people,” a small clutch of confidants that keep a tight lid on 92-year-old May’s hermetic world.

From Los Angeles Times

A femtosecond laser uses a short pulse of infrared light that melts the glass together to form a strong, hermetic seal.

From Science Daily

It is a spellbinding, hermetic discourse of restoration that mutates into a malignant formulation for rejecting democratic values and thwarting reasoned deliberation.

From Salon

The hermetic quality of their history is perhaps best represented in Mike Johnson’s admiration for David Barton, the political propagandist who poses as a “historian” to spread the distortions of Christian nationalist history.

From Salon

At the national level, Russia’s political system is hermetic.

From Seattle Times