apotactite means one of an ancient sect of Christians in Asia Minor, originating in the third century AD, who renounced all their possessions. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why this word is great
APOTACTITE — [Noun] A member of a rigorous third-century Christian sect in Asia Minor whose foundational doctrine was the absolute, formal renunciation of all personal property. From the Latin plural Apotactitae, from the Greek ἀποτακτικός (apotaktikos, "renouncing"), from ἀποτάσσομαι (apotassomai, "to renounce"). Unlike a cenobite, who shares possessions within a communal rule, or a general ascetic, who practices discipline but may yet own a bowl or a cloak, the apotactite enacted renunciation as a total, juridical severance from worldly goods. It is the last coin given away at a dusty crossroads, the deliberate emptiness of a sun-baked cell, and the unburdened shoulders turned toward a horizon of pure spirit—a radical poverty so complete it becomes a form of citizenship in an invisible kingdom, a testament that to own nothing was to be owned by nothing.
noun
- One of an ancient sect of Christians in Asia Minor, originating in the third century AD, who renounced all their possessions.