Extramundane

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɛkstɹəmʌndeɪn/

Definitions

1. Relating to that which lies beyond the material universe
2. Pertaining to phenomena or realms that exist outside the tangible universe
3. Connected with entities or concepts that transcend the observable material realm

Etymology: "Extramundane" is built from two parts that each carry a clear, literal sense. The prefix "extra-" means "outside" or "beyond," and "mundane" comes from Latin "mundanus," meaning "of the world," from "mundus," the world or universe. Put together, the word means "outside the world," which is how it came to describe whatever lies beyond the material realm. The Latin "mundus" is also the source of the everyday English adjective "mundane," which once carried the sense of belonging to the universe and only later shifted toward the ordinary and dull. "Extramundane" keeps the older, grander sense: where "mundane" now suggests the humdrum, its extra-prefixed partner points upward and outward, toward things that the physical world cannot contain.

Synonyms: transcendent, metaphysical

Antonyms: mundane, ordinary