Nekromantix

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Danish psychobilly band formed in Copenhagen in 1985, known for its horror-themed rockabilly music and gothic stage image
2. A Copenhagen-based psychobilly group founded in the mid-1980s that blends rockabilly rhythms with punk energy and macabre imagery
3. The name of a Danish rock act from the 1980s whose fast, horror-inspired psychobilly sound made it a cult favourite in the genre

Etymology: Medieval Latin writers spelled the word "nigromantia," and Middle English followed with "nigromancie," so the "black" in those spellings was an accident. The Latin form came from Greek "nekromanteia," built from "nekros," meaning corpse, and "manteia," meaning divination. The original sense was consulting the dead for prophecy. Writers had linked the word to Latin "niger," black, and that association left its mark on the spelling. The modern English "necromancy" restores the Greek-derived "nekro-" spelling. Nekromantix, the name of a Danish psychobilly band, uses that older root with a "k" and a Latinate-looking "-ix" ending, a stylization that suits a band with a gothic image.