shikigami · noun — A kind of ghost or spirit in Japanese folklore. It carries an Arena rating of 1590, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, shikigami ranks #1,060 of 17,166 for Most Vivid Words, #1,294 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #1,619 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #3,607 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “shikigami” is a great word
A spirit, often invisible or taking animal form, that is summoned and bound to obey an onmyōji, a practitioner of esoteric Japanese cosmology. From Japanese 式神 (shikigami), from 式 (shiki, "ceremony, formula") + 神 (kami/gami, "spirit, deity"). Unlike a kami, a sacred Shinto deity revered in its own right, or a yōkai, a wild and independent supernatural phenomenon, a shikigami exists only in thrall to a human will. It is the unseen hand that rustles a paper screen at a command, the crow whose eye sees for its master across a mountain, the paper cut-out that stirs and bleeds when pierced—servants of hidden knowledge, vanishing when the ritual breath fails.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Japanese 式(しき)神(がみ) (shikigami).
noun
- A kind of ghost or spirit in Japanese folklore.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.