A.Word.A.Day--simony

Wordsmith.org

The Magic of Words

Oct 22, 2010

This week's theme
Eponyms

This week's words
harlequin
stentorian
pharisaical
luddite
simony

Peter's conflict with Simon Magus (in black robes)

Art: Avanzino Nucci (c. 1552-1629)

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A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

simony

PRONUNCIATION:

(SY-muh-nee, SIM-)

MEANING:

noun: Profiting from holy things, especially buying and selling of holy positions and pardons.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Simon Magus, Samaritan sorcerer in the Bible, who wanted to buy spiritual powers -- the ability to transfer the "Holy Spirit" by putting hands on someone -- from Peter.

USAGE:

"A related theme -- the preacher or moraliser unmasked -- has been richly illustrated in recent years by examples from real life: a string of corrupt American televangelists, self-appointed 'men of God', who revelled in greed, lust, and simony, the very things they were thought to be railing against."
Gilchrist; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 19, 1994.

Explore "simony" in the Visual Thesaurus.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Intolerance of ambiguity is the mark of an authoritarian personality. -Theodor Adorno, philosopher and composer (1903-1969)

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