orphic
/'ɔ:fik/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Relating to or characteristic of the legendary poet and musician Orpheus, or to the mystical religious beliefs and practices attributed to him.
- Mysterious, mystical, or having a quality that is beyond ordinary understanding; esoteric.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- The poem had an orphic quality, its meaning felt more than understood.
- Scholars study the orphic hymns and rituals of ancient Greece.
Advanced Usage
"Orphic mysteries": Refers to the secret religious rites and doctrines associated with the cult of Orpheus in ancient Greece, focused on the soul's fate after death.
- The initiates were sworn to secrecy about the Orphic mysteries.
"Orphic voice": A literary or critical term describing a voice in poetry or song that is enchantingly beautiful, mystical, or capable of moving natural forces, akin to Orpheus's legendary music.
- The poet's orphic voice seemed to cast a spell over the audience.
Variants and Related Words
- Orpheus (n): The legendary Thracian poet and musician in Greek mythology whose music could charm inanimate objects and who journeyed to the underworld.
- Orphism (n): The religious movement or set of beliefs based on the teachings ascribed to Orpheus.
Synonyms
- Mystical: Relating to mysticism or spiritual mystery.
- Esoteric: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge.
- Occult: Involving supernatural, mystical, or magical powers or phenomena.
Related Phrases
- "Orphic descent": A reference to Orpheus's journey to the underworld, sometimes used metaphorically for a deep, transformative, or perilous quest into the unknown.
- The protagonist's journey was a modern Orphic descent into the city's criminal underworld.
Related Idioms
- None commonly associated directly with the adjective "orphic." The term itself often functions within more specialized or literary contexts rather than in everyday idiomatic expressions.
Adjective
- having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding
- mysterious symbols
- the mystical style of Blake
- occult lore
- the secret learning of the ancients
- ascribed to Orpheus or characteristic of ideas in works ascribed to Orpheus