Word of the Day: Numen

(noun) Pronunciation: ['nyu-men]

Definition: (1) The spirit, driving force or divine presence (but not a deity) residing in a particular kind of object or place; (2) creative powers or spirit, a muse with attitude and muscle.

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Usage: The plural is numens or numina; no one seems to care. Just remember that the vowel [e] becomes [i] in the Latin plural, as it does in the adjective, numinous "containing the aura of a supernatural or divine power." Aside from their many gods, the Romans believed in particular powers that resided in objects that explained their behavior. For example Frutesca was the numen (spirit, driving force) of fruit, while Fulgora was the numen of lightning. Mercia was the numen that caused laziness and Maturna, the numen that held couples together.

Suggested Usage: Numina are expected to protect the things they abide in. When parents return home to find the children asleep but the house a wreck, they might say, "The numina of our house must have been away for the evening." However, the word today also refers to one's creative powers as opposed to the gentler muse: "I'm waiting for my numen to move me toward the completion of this Word of the Day."

Etymology: Today's word comes from Latin numen "nod, behest or beck, divine will" from nuere "to nod." Akin to Greek neuein "to nod" and nyssein, nyttein "to prick, sting." The same Proto-Indo-European root emerged in Sanskrit as navate, nauti "he moves, turns" and nudati "push, jerk,". The original idea was that the nod of a godly head leads to good fortune and numina were spirits of the gods.

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