numen-, numin-

(Latin: nod of the head; divine power, divine will, divine command, divinity, god )


numen (s), numina (pl)
1. A presiding divinity or spirit of a place.
2. A spirit believed by animists to inhabit certain natural phenomena or objects.
3. A spirit believed to inhabit an object or preside over a place (especially in ancient Roman religion).
4. Creative energy; genius.
numenism
A belief in local deities or spirits.
numinal
Divine; numinal spirits.
numinosity
The condition or state of being numinous.
numinosum
1. Revealing or indicating the presence of a divinity; divine, spiritual: "Many religious practices and performances seem to be carried out for the sole purpose of calling forth the power of the numinosum at will by invocation, incantation, sacrifice, etc."
2. Relating to the experience of the divine as awesome or terrifying; designating that which governs the subject outside of his or her own will.
numinous, numinously
1. Of, like or pertaining to a deity; suffused with religious awe.
2. Pertaining to, or like a numen; spiritual or supernatural.
3. Surpassing comprehension or understanding; mysterious: that element in artistic expression that remains numinous.
4. Arousing one's elevated feelings of duty, honor, loyalty, etc.: "He lived with a benevolent and numinous paternity."
5. Filled with awe or wonder; feeling that one is in the presence of God or something greater than oneself; spiritual experience.
6. Spiritually elevated; sublime.
numinousness
Appealing to higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense; spiritual.

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