komboskini means A rope of usually 33, 50 or 100 knots, used in meditative prayer in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic tradition, to count one's recitations of the Jesus Prayer. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 74 out of 100.
Why this word is great
KOMBOSKINI — [Noun] A knotted woolen prayer rope, traditionally of 33, 50, or 100 knots, used in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic ascetic practice to count repetitions of the Jesus Prayer. From the Greek κομποσκοίνι (komposkoíni), from κόμβος (kómbos, "knot") and σχοινίον (schoiníon, "cord, small rope"), literally meaning "cord of knots." Unlike a "rosary" (which structures devotion with beaded cycles in the Western rite) or a "chotki" (which linguistically anchors the object in Slavic practice), the komboskini is a distinctly Greek artifact of hesychasm. It is the coarse, oily feel of dark wool warming in the palm; it is the subtle click of knots passing in the stillness before dawn; it is the silent, thumb-worn journey from one knot to the next—a physical metronome for a plea meant to sink below thought, a finite rope holding an infinite repetition.
noun
- A rope of usually 33, 50 or 100 knots, used in meditative prayer in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic tradition, to count one's recitations of the Jesus Prayer.