Mistick

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of mystic, describing something mysterious, secret, or holding a hidden spiritual meaning
2. Old-fashioned variant of the word mystic, referring to what is obscure, enigmatic, or known only through spiritual insight
3. A dated form of mystic used to describe things that are hidden, mysterious, or accessible only through mystical understanding

Etymology: In ancient Greece, a "mystēs" was an initiate into secret religious rites such as those at Eleusis. The Greek noun came from "myein," meaning to close the eyes or lips, which suggests the silence and secrecy the initiates had to keep. The adjective "mystikos" grew from that noun and meant having to do with such rites, hidden or secret. Latin took the adjective as "mysticus," and it passed into English from Latin and French. This form, with its "i" spelling, is an older variant of the modern "mystic." English writers used it for things that were hidden, sacred, or beyond ordinary understanding, a sense that still clings to the spiritual meaning.