Words / C2

hur-MET-ik/hɜːˈmetɪk/

Hermetic means airtight, or, of a group or style, sealed against outsiders: a hermetic seal, a hermetic clique. Airtight is everyday for jars; closed and insular are cousins for groups. Hermes/hermetic tradition is esoteric history. Do not call a password policy hermetic as an insult when it is the point.

Meaning

Airtight; of a group or style, sealed off from outside influence.

Examples

• “A hermetic clique wrote the minutes and skipped the fire door.”
• “Airtight is everyday. Insular is inward-looking. Esoteric (already in the dictionary) is for the initiated. A sealed lab fridge can be correctly hermetic. A clique that hides a fire risk is the bad sense.”

Good to know

Sealed; closed to outsiders. Everyday: airtight / closed. Cousin: esoteric (insiders’ knowledge). A seal can be good; a clique skipping safety is not.

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