hermetic. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

hermetic

SYLLABICATION:	her·met·ic
PRONUNCIATION:	hr-mtk
VARIANT FORMS:	also her·met·i·cal (--kl)
ADJECTIVE:	1. Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air. 2. Impervious to outside interference or influence: the hermetic confines of an isolated life. 3. often Hermetic a. Mythology Of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus or the works ascribed to him. b. Having to do with the occult sciences, especially alchemy; magical.
ETYMOLOGY:	New Latin hermticus, alchemical, from Medieval Latin Herms (Trismegistus). See Hermes Trismegistus.
OTHER FORMS:	her·meti·cal·ly —ADVERB


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.