numinous

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 30, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>numinous</strong> &#149; \NOO-muh-nus\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Numinous</em> describes things having a mysterious or spiritual quality.</p> <p>// I was filled with a <em>numinous</em> sensation when, in the dark of night, a shooting star flashed across the sky.</p> <p>// The tourists were overcome by the <em>numinous</em> atmosphere of the catacombs.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numinous">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"A musician, educator and serial collaborator, Win is also a collector of objects, thoughts and, of course, words—her poetry an illumination of the everyday beauty found in things both tangible and <em>numinous</em>." — Denise Sullivan, <em>Datebook</em> (The San Francisco Chronicle), 19 Oct. 2020</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Numinous</em> is from the Latin word <em>numen</em>, meaning "nod of the head" or "divine will" (the latter sense suggesting a figurative nod, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/numen">numen</a></em> for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." The meanings of the adjective include "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" ("the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" ("the numinous nuances of her art"). There are also the nouns <em>numinousness</em> and <em>numinosity</em>, although these are rare.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>