apotropaic
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌæpəˈtroʊpeɪɪk/
- Specialized
- The ancient amulet was believed to have apotropaic powers, protecting the wearer from evil spirits.
- apotropaic function
- apotropaic power
- apotropaic resonance
Examples
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The idea of the labyrinth as a puzzle for the eyes, trapping the gaze, lent it considerable apotropaic power in the Roman world.
Academic text (2011) -
Its apotropaic function, protecting subjects from any contagion, is thus pretty obvious, and now we know that the handkerchief operates as the immune shield.
Academic text (2017) -
Certainly, apotropaic resonance can be accepted as a reason for the popularity of this myth in this context.
Academic text (2011) -
She was an apotropaic symbol, one that imbued both fear and protection at once.
-
In any case, the host's growing fame was undoubtedly matched by an escalation in its apotropaic powers.
Academic text (2005) -
Such a placement above the only entrance to the castle suggests, again, the apotropaic function of the Sheela na gig.
Academic text (2000) -
Among the Luba, aesthetic beauty is not only synonymous with social value, but also often has apotropaic or healing dimensions.
Academic text (1995) -
Proclaiming and equipping battleships as dragons may have had an apotropaic function to frighten an enemy.
Academic text (2000) -
Gentilcore describes how local folk approached the Jesuits with "a mixture of fear, devotion, and belief in their apotropaic power," and that the Jesuits "came to be treated as saints by the local populace."
Academic text (2003) -
Scriptures were valued for their materiality, their salvific, apotropaic, and prophylactic power, and indeed, for their sheer presence, which enlivened such things as pagodas and sculptures regardless of their visibility.
Academic text (2015)
Synonyms
1
9.6
People think it protects or brings good luck like a charm
1
9.8
A small object people use to protect themselves and bring good luck
Antonyms
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
apotropaic = apotropa + ic
The adjective is built from a Greek combining form (apotropa-) plus the suffix -ic; the combining form is not a standalone English word and the meaning ('warding off evil') is not transparently derived for typical learners.
Etymology
Apotropaic comes from Greek parts apo- ('away') and -tropos ('turn'), so it means 'turning away' bad things. So an apotropaic charm or ritual is made to 'turn away' evil or bad luck and protect people.