ennead means the number nine.
ennead is pronounced /ˈɛnɪad/.
Why “ennead” is a great word
A group or set of nine, particularly a system of nine deities or a division of nine philosophical treatises. From Ancient Greek ἐννεάς (enneás, 'body of nine'), from ἐννέα (ennéa, 'nine') (from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥, 'nine') + the suffix -άς (-ás, forming abstract nouns of number). Unlike 'nonet,' which primarily denotes a musical ensemble, or 'novena,' a cycle of nine devotional prayers, an ennead is a structural and symbolic ninefold unity. It is the nine primal gods of Heliopolis standing in their fixed order, the six Enneads of Plotinus grouped by threes into nine books, and the scent of papyrus and myrrh mingling in a sunlit antechamber where priests once whispered names into the dark—a testament to the human mind's preference for a completeness just beyond the grasp of ordinary number.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐννεάς (enneás), ἐννεάδος (enneádos, “body of nine”) + -ad (suffix designating a unit); analysable as ennea- + -ad. The Greek words ἐννεάς and ἐννεάδος are derived from ἐννέᾰ (ennéă, “nine”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁néwn̥ (“nine”)) + -ᾰ́ς (-ắs, suffix forming abstract nouns of number from numerals) or -ος (-os).
noun
- The number nine.
- Any grouping or system containing nine objects.
- One of the six parts of the writings of the Greek-speaking philosopher Plotinus (c. 204–205 – 270), each containing nine treatises, compiled by his student Porphyry (c. 234 – c. 305).
name
- The collection of nine gods worshipped at Heliopolis and taking part in the Heliopolitan creation myth, together representing the sum of all the elements of the created world: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Nut, Geb, Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys.
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