Word of the Day for Tuesday August 16, 2005 numinous \NOO-min-uhs; NYOO-\, adjective: 1. Of or pertaining to a [1]numen; supernatural. 2. Indicating or suggesting the presence of a god; divine; holy. 3. Inspiring awe and reverence; spiritual. Smoking is a ritual, and it has all the numinous force of a ritual. --Thomas W. Laqueur, [2]The New Republic, September 18, 1995 All Quests are concerned with some numinous Object, the Waters of Life, the Grail, buried treasure, etc. --W. H. Auden, "Secular Hobbitism" review of [3]The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien, [4]New York Times Our culture is not much concerned with the numinous, but in language we preserve many of the marks of a culture that is. --Richard Mitchell, [5]Less Than Words Can Say My sense of the numinous is generally keenest upstate, in the fields and forest that surround my old schoolhouse. --Winifred Gallagher, [6]Working on God _________________________________________________________ Numinous is from Latin numen, literally a "nod of the head" (as in giving a command), hence "divine power." References 1. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=numen 2. http://www.tnr.com/ 3. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0618002227/ref=nosim/lexico 4. http://www.nytimes.com/ 5. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/188817367x/ref=nosim/lexico 6. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/0375755373/ref=nosim/lexico Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=numinous