necromancy means divination involving the dead or death. It carries an Arena rating of 1801, earned across 27 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, necromancy ranks #89 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #376 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #471 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,056 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words.
necromancy is pronounced /ˈnɛkɹəˌmænsi/.
Why “necromancy” is a great word
Divination by communication with the dead, or sorcery that uses death itself as its medium. From the Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós, "dead") + μαντεία (manteía, "divination"), via Latin necromantia; the Medieval Latin spelling nigromantia, influenced by niger ("black"), gave rise to the Middle English form nigromancye, with the modern spelling re-established in the mid-1500s. Unlike "divination" (which seeks omens in stars or entrails) or "sorcery" (which traffics in general malign power), necromancy is an intimacy with the ultimate silence. It is the whispered conference in a tomb's chill, the candle flickering over a stolen bone, the weight of a hand not living pressing against your own in the dark—the desperate insistence that the dead may answer, if only we know the words to wound the silence.
Etymology
Circa 1300, from Middle English nigromancye, from Old French nigromancie, from Medieval Latin nigromantia, from Latin necromantia, from Ancient Greek νεκρομαντεία (nekromanteía), νεκρός (nekrós, “dead”) + μαντεία (manteía, “divination”). Medieval Latin spelling, incorporating niger (“black”), influenced by the notion of black art. Modern spelling adopted in mid-1500s. By surface analysis, necro- + -mancy.
noun
- Divination involving the dead or death.
- Loosely, any sorcery or witchcraft, especially involving death or the dead, particularly sorcery involving raising or reanimating the dead.
- Synonym of necroposting.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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