athame
English
Etymology
From the non-word arthame from a (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French manuscript. Arthame is either from a misreading of handwritten (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Italian arctrave, which is a variant of architrave (“main beam”), or from corruptions of the Medieval Latin word artavus (“quill-sharpening knife”). Artavus was also mistranslated into the non-word artauo in an (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Italian manuscript. The arthame was conflated with the cortel nero ("black knife") by the author Grillot de Givry in 1931, and that conflation was passed on to Gerald Gardner (the creator of Wicca).
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ɑːˈθɑː.meɪ/, /əˈθɑː.meɪ/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 95: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ɑˈθɑ.meɪ/, /əˈθɑ.meɪ/, /ˈæ.θəˌmeɪ/
Noun
athame (plural athames)
- A ceremonial pointed knife or dagger that is used in Wicca, traditionally having a black handle with magical symbols on it. [from 20th c.]
- The athame is a black-handled ritual knife—one of the most common distinguishing marks of the Neopagan Witch. Gerald Gardner, in Witchcraft Today, called the athame one of the three most essential tools of the Witch.[1]
Alternative forms
Translations
ritual dagger