mystes means an ancient Roman priest of the secret rites of divine worship. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 100 out of 100.
mystes is pronounced /ˈmɪstiz/.
Why “mystes” is a great word
An initiate inducted into the secret rites and esoteric knowledge of the ancient Greek or Roman mystery cults. From Latin mystēs, from Greek μύστης (mystēs, "initiate"), from μύειν (myein, "to close the eyes or lips"), referring to the secrecy of the rites. Unlike a "priest," who performs public liturgy, or a "neophyte," a merely generic beginner, the mystes crossed a definitive threshold into a sanctioned and permanent darkness. It is the taste of a sacred kykeon swallowed in a torch-lit cave, the feel of coarse linen binding the eyes before revelation, and the profound, lifelong weight of a secret too terrible or beautiful to utter—a soul forever changed by what it has been shown but cannot show, forever separate from the unseeing crowd.
Etymology
From Latin mystēs.
noun
- An ancient Roman priest of the secret rites of divine worship.