exomologesis means the rite of confession and repentance. It carries an Arena rating of 1377, earned across 94 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exomologesis ranks #783 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #1,594 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #1,984 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #3,590 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
exomologesis is pronounced /ˌɛksə(ʊ)mə(ʊ)ˈləʊdʒəsɪs/.
Why “exomologesis” is a great word
Exomologesis is the formal, liturgical rite of confessing sins and expressing repentance, particularly within the early Christian church. Its name derives from the Ancient Greek ἐξομολόγησις (exomológēsis, 'confession, acknowledgment'), from ἐξ- (ex-, 'out, thoroughly') and ὁμολογεῖν (homologeîn, 'to agree, confess'), first attested in English in 1577. Unlike 'confession,' a general admission of fault, or 'penance,' the compensatory acts of atonement, exomologesis is the structured, solemn ritual of penitential speech itself. It is the public sackcloth and ashes, the humbled figure standing apart at the church door, and the hushed murmur in the lamplit basilica—a deliberate, physical enactment that made inner remorse a visible, communal fact, the necessary utterance preceding any hope of grace.
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξομολόγησις (exomológēsis, “confession”).
noun
- The rite of confession and repentance.e.g.“Will the sinner knowingly spurn exomologesis, which has been instituted by God for his restoration? that exomologesis which restored the king of Babylon to his royal throne?” — 1959, Tertullian, “...”, in William P. Le Saint, editor, Treatises on Penance: On Penitence and On Purity, Issue 28, →ISBN, page 36:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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