different between mystic vs mastic

English

Alternative forms

• mystick (archaic)
• mystical (adjective)

Etymology

From Old French mistique, from Latin mysticus, from Ancient Greek ???????? (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from ?????? (múst?s, “one who has been initiated”). Doublet of mystique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?st?k/
• Rhymes: -?st?k

Adjective

mystic (comparative more mystic, superlative most mystic)

1. Of, or relating to mystics, mysticism or occult mysteries; mystical.

   a mystic dance

2. Mysterious and strange; arcane, obscure or enigmatic.
   • 1842, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Threnody

     Heaven's numerous hierarchy span / The mystic gulf from God to man.

Translations

Noun

mystic (plural mystics)

1. Someone who practices mysticism.

Translations

Related terms

• mysterious
• mystery
• mystical
• mysticism
• mystify
• mystique

References

• mystic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “mystic”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• mystic in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• mystic at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Alternative forms

• mastick

Etymology

From Middle English mastik, from Old French mastic, from Latin mastiche, from Ancient Greek ??????? (mastíkh?), from ???????? (mastikhá?, “I chew”) (note the chewing gum sense). Doublet of masticate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mæst?k/
• Rhymes: -æst?k

Noun

mastic (countable and uncountable, plural mastics)

1. An evergreen shrub or small tree, Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree), native to the Mediterranean.
   • 1745, Richard Pococke, A Description of the East, and Some other Countries, Volume II, Book I, Chapter 1,^[1]

     The island of Scio is now called by the Greeks Kio [???], the antient Greek name of it was Chios [????]; it was first called Ætalia in very antient times, and also Mastic, on account of the great number of mastic trees that were in this island.

2. A hard, brittle, aromatic and transparent resin produced by this tree and used to make varnishes and chewing gum, and as a flavouring.
   • 1799, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, Voyage Performed by the Late Earl of Sandwich Round the Mediterranean in the Years 1738 and 1739, Written by Himself, pp. 317-318,^[2]

     The mastic, of which the people of Scio gather every year an incredible quantity, is a very rich gum, made use of in medicines, which distils from a shrub called, in Latin, Lentiscus.

   • 1830, Thomas Moore, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: with Notices of his Life, New York: J. & J. Harper, Volume I, p. 402,^[3]

     Having taken upon me to order the repast, and knowing that Lord Byron, for the last two days, had done nothing towards sustenance, beyond eating a few biscuits and (to appease appetite) chewing mastic, I desired that we should have a good supply of, at least, two kinds of fish.

   • 1834, James Augustus St. John, Egypt and Mohammed Ali, or Travels in the Valley of the Nile, London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, Volume I, Chapter 132, pp. 322-323,^[4]

     […] in many harems, the women are in the habit of burning mastic on a small chaffing-dish, and holding the mouth of the jars over the smoke; by which means they communicate to them a scent which perfumes the water for eight or ten days, at the expiration of which the operation must be repeated.
3. An alcoholic liquor flavoured with this resin.
   • 1913, Marjorie Bowen, A Knight of Spain, Part II, Chapter 6,^[5]

     He took a list from the desk and read aloud Fatima’s offerings:— […] four bottles of rare mastic from Scio.

4. A flexible, waterproof cement used as an adhesive, sealant or filler.
   • 1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, 2001, Part One, Chapter 5,

     ‘They have a few holes here and there. A few. Tiny tiny.’ ‘We could fix those up easy. Mastic cement. Not expensive, boss.’

Derived terms

• black mastic (Terminalia eriostachya)
• false mastic (Sideroxylon foetidissimum)
• mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus)
• yellow mastic (Sideroxylon foetidissimum)

Translations

See also

• Mastichochoria

Further reading

• Mastic on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Amcits, Stimac, misact

Middle English

Noun

mastic

1. Alternative form of mastik

Romanian

Etymology

From French mastic.

Noun

mastic n (plural masticuri)

1. mastic

Declension