Hierophant
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 An ancient Greek priest who interpreted sacred mysteries, especially the priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
"The exhibition of ancient statues, relics, and symbols, concealed from daily adoration (as in the Catholic festivals of this day), probably, made a main duty of the Hierophant."
- 2 An interpreter of sacred mysteries or arcane knowledge.
"Thus I became the hierophant of those three worthy and talented men, who, in spite of their literary accomplishments, were not wise, since they were infatuated with occult and fabulous sciences, and believed in the existence of phenomena impossible in the moral as well as in the physical order of things."
- 3 One who explains or makes a commentary.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The exhibition of ancient statues, relics, and symbols, concealed from daily adoration (as in the Catholic festivals of this day), probably, made a main duty of the Hierophant."
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἱεροφάντης (hierophántēs, from ἱερός (hierós, “holy”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I show, make known”)).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.