mysticism

English

Etymology

From mystic +‎ -ism, from Old French mistique (“mysterious, full of mystery”), from Latin mysticus (“mystical, mystic, of secret rites”), from Ancient Greek μυστικός (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from μύστης (mústēs, “one who has been initiated, initiate”) from μῡ́ω (mū́ō, “to close one's lips or eyes; initiate into the mysteries”). Compare Asturian misticismu, Catalan misticisme, French mysticisme, German Mystizismus, Italian misticismo, Portuguese misticismo, Sicilian misticisimu, Spanish misticismo.

Pronunciation

• enPR: mĭsʹtĭ-sĭz'əm IPA^(key): /ˈmɪs.tɪˌsɪz.əm̩/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

mysticism (countable and uncountable, plural mysticisms)

1. The beliefs, ideas, or thoughts of mystics.
2. A doctrine of direct communication or spiritual intuition of divine truth.
   • 1902, William James, “Lecture I”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience […] ‎^[1], London: Longmans, Green & Co.:

     In the history of Christian mysticism the problem how to discriminate between such messages and experiences as were really divine miracles, and such others as the demon in his malice was able to counterfeit, thus making the religious person twofold more the child of hell he was before, has always been a difficult one to solve, needing all the sagacity and experience of the best directors of conscience.

3. A transcendental union of soul or mind with the divine reality or divinity.
4. Obscure thoughts and speculations.

Antonyms

• rationalism

Derived terms

• quantum mysticism

Translations

beliefs and ideas of mystics

• Armenian: խորհրդապաշտություն (hy) (xorhrdapaštutʿyun), միստիցիզմ (hy) (misticʿizm)
• Bulgarian: мистицизъм (bg) (misticizǎm)
• Catalan: misticisme m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 神秘主義／神秘主义 (zh) (shénmìzhǔyì)

• Finnish: mystisismi
• French: mysticisme (fr) m
• Galician: misticismo m
• German: Mystik (de) f, Mystizismus (de) m
• Greek: μυστικισμός (el) m (mystikismós)
• Italian: misticismo (it) m
• Japanese: 神秘主義 (しんぴしゅぎ, shinpishugi)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mystikk m, mystisisme m

  Nynorsk: mystikk m, mystisisme m

• Occitan: misticisme (oc) m
• Polish: mistycyzm (pl) m
• Portuguese: misticismo (pt) m
• Russian: мистици́зм (ru) m (misticízm)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мистицизам m

  Roman: misticizam (sh) m

• Sicilian: misticisimu m
• Spanish: misticismo (es) m
• Turkish: mistisizm (tr), gizemcilik (tr)
• Ukrainian: містици́зм m (mistycýzm)
• Yiddish: מיסטיציזם m (mistitsizm)

doctrine of direct communication of divine truth

• Catalan: misticisme m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 神秘主義／神秘主义 (zh) (shénmìzhǔyì)

• Finnish: mystiikka (fi)
• German: Mystik (de) f, Mystizismus (de) m
• Greek: μυστικισμός (el) m (mystikismós)
• Italian: misticismo (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mystikk m, mystisisme m

  Nynorsk: mystikk m, mystisisme m

• Polish: mistycyzm (pl) m
• Portuguese: misticismo (pt) m
• Russian: мистици́зм (ru) m (misticízm)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мистицизам m

  Roman: misticizam (sh) m

• Sicilian: misticisimu m
• Spanish: misticismo (es) m
• Turkish: mistisizm (tr), gizemcilik (tr)
• Ukrainian: містици́зм m (mistycýzm)

transcendental union of soul with the divinity

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 神秘主義／神秘主义 (zh) (shénmìzhǔyì)

• Finnish: yhteys jumaluuteen
• German: Mystik (de) f, Mystizismus (de) m
• Italian: misticismo (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: mystikk m, mystisisme m

  Nynorsk: mystikk m, mystisisme m

• Polish: mistycyzm (pl) m
• Portuguese: misticismo (pt) m
• Russian: мистици́зм (ru) m (misticízm)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мистицизам m

  Roman: misticizam (sh) m

• Sicilian: misticisimu m
• Turkish: mistisizm (tr), gizemcilik (tr)
• Ukrainian: містици́зм m (mistycýzm)

obscure thoughts and speculations

• Bulgarian: мистика (bg) f (mistika)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 神秘主義／神秘主义 (zh) (shénmìzhǔyì)

• Finnish: mystiikka (fi)
• German: Mystizismus (de) m
• Greek: μυστικοπάθεια (el) f (mystikopátheia)
• Portuguese: misticismo (pt) m
• Russian: мистици́зм (ru) m (misticízm)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мистицизам m

  Roman: misticizam (sh) m

• Turkish: mistisizm (tr), gizemcilik (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} mistikismo

References

• “mysticism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “mysticism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “mysticism”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Swedish

Noun

mysticism c

1. mysticism

Declension

Declension of mysticism
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	mysticism	mysticismen	—	—
Genitive	mysticisms	mysticismens	—	—

References

• mysticism in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mysticism in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mysticism in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)