zhritsa · noun — slavic pagan priestess. It carries an Arena rating of 1278, earned across 35 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, zhritsa ranks #2,222 of 17,145 for Most Storied Words, #2,503 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,889 of 17,166 for Most Vivid Words, #4,863 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “zhritsa” is a great word
ZHRITSA — [Noun] A Slavic pagan priestess, a formal officiant of ritual and sacrifice. Borrowed from Russian жри́ца (žríca), meaning "priestess," which itself derives from Old East Slavic жьрица (žĭrica), related to жьрьць (žĭrĭcĭ, "priest"), and ultimately from жьрѣти (žĭrěti, "to sacrifice"). Unlike a volkhv—a male priest-sorcerer of shamanic breadth—or a vedunya—a seeress of hearth and hex—a zhritsa is defined by her solemn, sacrificial office. She is the scent of wet earth and hot ash at the solstice fire, the steady hand pouring mead upon the flame, the weight of a clay bowl lifted towards a thunderous sky—the keeper of a covenant between people and gods as old and demanding as the soil.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian жри́ца (žríca).
noun
- Slavic pagan priestess
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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