atenism

Etymology

From Aten + -ism.

atenism means A monotheistic religion of ancient Egypt, based around the god Aten. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.

Why “atenism” is a great word

ATENISM — [Noun] A state-enforced monotheistic religion established by Pharaoh Akhenaten in 14th-century BCE Egypt, venerating the solar disc Aten as the sole, universal deity. From Aten, the name of the Egyptian solar deity, + -ism, a suffix forming nouns denoting systems of belief or practice. Unlike "the Amarna religion," which frames it as a historical phenomenon of a specific period, or "polytheism," which denotes the veneration of many gods, Atenism was a stark theological revolution deliberately imposed from the throne. It is the stark, geometric light chiseling the colonnades of a desert capital; the intimate, sun-warmed hands of the royal family receiving life from the disc's descending rays; the systematic erasure of the name Amun from every monument the sun could touch—a fleeting attempt to cage infinity within a single, visible circle.

noun

A monotheistic religion of ancient Egypt, based around the god Aten.