KEY TERMS
A glossary of terms is helpful because Tarot has many terms contained within its body of knowledge which are not commonly used in the general lexicon. This page will help illuminate some of them, and will be regularly updated as new posts and terms are added to the site
A
Arcana –
Plural form of Arcanum, which Merriam Webster defines as: : “mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate —usually used in plural” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcanum
In Tarot there are the Major and Minor Arcana.
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
THE HIEROPHANT
hi·ero·phant | \ ˈhī-(ə-)rə-ˌfant , hī-ˈer-ə-fənt
Definition of hierophant
1 : a priest in ancient Greece specifically : the chief priest of the Eleusinian mysteries https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hierophant
HIEROPHANY
HIEROPHANY (from Greek hiero-, “sacred,” and phainein, “to show”) is a term designating the manifestation of the sacred.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hierophany
I
J
K
L
M
Magus
ma·gus | ˈmā-gəs
plural magi ˈmā-ˌjī
1a : a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians
b often capitalized : one of the traditionally three wise men from the East paying homage to the infant Jesus
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magus
mountebank
moun·te·bank | ˈmau̇n-ti-ˌbaŋk
1 : a person who sells quack medicines from a platform
2 : a boastful unscrupulous pretender : charlatan
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountebank
N
O
P
Q
R
S
septenary –
A group or set of seven https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/septenary
There are 3 septenaries within the Major arcana, each of which represent a theme within the fools journey. For more on this, refer to The major arcana page <Insert link here>
T
tarot
tar·ot | \ ˈter-(ˌ)ō , ˈta-(ˌ)rō \
: any of a set of usually 78 playing cards including 22 pictorial cards used for fortune-https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarot
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