exorcism means the ritual act of driving out evil spirits from persons, places or things that are possessed by them.
exorcism is pronounced /ˈɛk.sɔː.sɪ.zəm/.
Why “exorcism” is a great word
The ritual act of expelling or driving out evil spirits from a person, place, or thing believed to be possessed. From Old French *exorciser*, from Late Latin *exorcizō*, from Ancient Greek ἐξορκίζω (*exorkízō*, "to bind by oath, to adjure"), from ἐξ (*ex*, "out") + ὅρκος (*hórkos*, "oath"). Unlike "purification," which denotes a gentle cleansing of spiritual impurity, or "incantation," which is merely the charm chanted, exorcism is a violent, specific eviction. It is the priest's breath fogging cold in a bedroom where something else breathes, the sudden arc of holy water flung against walls that seem to recoil, and the raw vibration of a voice not one’s own roaring Latin from unlearned lips—the moment when faith becomes force, and a name is torn from the inside.
Etymology
From Old French exorciser, from Late Latin exorcizō, from Ancient Greek ἐξορκίζω (exorkízō, “to ward off, to charge under oath, adjure”), from ἐξ (ex) + ὅρκος (hórkos).
noun
- The ritual act of driving out evil spirits from persons, places or things that are possessed by them.e.g.“Master Hume, we are therefore prouided: / will her Ladyship behold and heare our Exorcismes?”
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