hermetic

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: her=met=ic

CIDE DICTIONARY

hermetic, a. [F. hermétique. See Note under Hermes, 1.].

•  Of, pertaining to, or taught by, Hermes Trismegistus; as, hermetic philosophy. Hence: Alchemical; chemic.  Burke.  [1913 Webster]

  "The alchemists, as the people were called who tried to make gold, considered themselves followers of Hermes, and often called themselves Hermetic philosophers."  [1913 Webster]
•  Of or pertaining to the system which explains the causes of diseases and the operations of medicine on the principles of the hermetic philosophy, and which made much use, as a remedy, of an alkali and an acid; as, hermetic medicine.  [1913 Webster]
•  Made perfectly close or air-tight by fusion, so that no gas or spirit can enter or escape; as, an hermetic seal. See Note under Hermetically.  [1913 Webster]

Hermetic art, alchemy. -- Hermetic books. (a) Books of the Egyptians, which treat of astrology. (b) Books which treat of universal principles, of the nature and orders of celestial beings, of medicine, and other topics.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

hermetic, adj. (also hermetical)
1 with an airtight closure.
2 protected from outside agencies.
3 a of alchemy or other occult sciences (hermetic art). b esoteric.

Idiom

hermetic seal an airtight seal (orig. as used by alchemists).

Derivative

hermetically adv. hermetism n.

Etymology

mod.L hermeticus irreg. f. Hermes Trismegistus thrice-greatest Hermes (as the founder of alchemy)

THESAURUS

hermetic

abstruse, airtight, arcane, ballproof, bombproof, bulletproof, burglarproof, cabalistic, censored, classified, cloistered, close, closed, compact, concealed, corrosionproof, cryptic, dampproof, dark, deep, dustproof, dusttight, enigmatic, esoteric, fast, fire-resisting, fireproof, firm, flameproof, foolproof, gasproof, gastight, heavy, hermetical, hermetically sealed, hidden, holeproof, hush-hush, impervious, impervious to, latent, leakproof, lightproof, lighttight, mysterious, noiseproof, occult, oilproof, oiltight, profound, proof, proof against, punctureproof, rainproof, raintight, recluse, resistant, restricted, rustproof, sealed, secluse, seclusive, secret, sequestered, shatterproof, shellproof, shut fast, smokeproof, smoketight, smothered, snug, soundproof, staunch, stifled, stormproof, stormtight, suppressed, tight, top secret, ulterior, unbreatheable, under security, under wraps, undisclosable, undisclosed, undivulgable, undivulged, unrevealable, unrevealed, unspoken, untellable, untold, unutterable, unuttered, unwhisperable, water-repellant, waterproof, watertight, weatherproof, windproof, windtight