different between mysticism vs mystify

English

Etymology

From mystic +? ism, from Old French mistique (“mysterious, full of mystery”), from Latin mysticus (“mystical, mystic, of secret rites”), from Ancient Greek ???????? (mustikós, “secret, mystic”), from ?????? (múst?s, “one who has been initiated, initiate”) from ???? (m???, “to close one's lips or eyes; initiate into the mysteries”). Confer Asturian misticismu, Catalan misticisme, French mysticisme, German Mystizismus, Italian misticismo, Portuguese misticismo, Sicilian misticisimu, Spanish misticismo.

Pronunciation

• enPR: m?s?t?-s?z'?m IPA^(key): /?m?s.t??s?z.?m?/

Noun

mysticism (countable and uncountable, plural mysticisms)

1. The beliefs, ideas, or thoughts of mystics.
2. A doctrine of direct communication or spiritual intuition of divine truth.
   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Lecture I:

     In the history of Christian mysticism the problem how to discriminate between such messages and experiences as were really divine miracles, and such others as the demon in his malice was able to counterfeit, thus making the religious person twofold more the child of hell he was before, has always been a difficult one to solve, needing all the sagacity and experience of the best directors of conscience.

3. A transcendental union of soul or mind with the divine reality or divinity.
4. Obscure thoughts and speculations.

Antonyms

• rationalism

Translations

References

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

English

Etymology

From French mystifier, from Ancient Greek ???????? (mustikós, “secret, mystic”) + Latin -ficare.

Verb

mystify (third-person singular simple present mystifies, present participle mystifying, simple past and past participle mystified)

1. (transitive) To thoroughly confuse, befuddle, or bewilder.

Related terms

• mysterious
• mystery
• mystic
• mystical
• mysticism
• mystique

Translations

Further reading

• mystify in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• mystify in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• mystify at OneLook Dictionary Search