gnosis

noun

gno·​sis ˈnō-səs How to pronounce gnosis (audio)
: esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics to be essential to salvation

Examples of gnosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Because of this discontinuity, Gnostic religions tended to include roles for special authorities possessing secret knowledge (gnosis) of God's wishes and intentions that couldn't be discerned from the structure of the world in which humans find ourselves. Damon Linker, The Week, 8 Feb. 2022 The red pill: gnosis, baby. Max Read, Vulture, 22 Dec. 2021 Another noted Alexandrian thinker was Valentinus, whose interpretation of Christianity required believers to embrace divine knowledge—in Greek, gnosis. National Geographic, 19 Apr. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Greek gnōsis, literally, knowledge, from gignōskein

First Known Use

1703, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gnosis was in 1703

Dictionary Entries Near gnosis

Cite this Entry

“Gnosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gnosis. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on gnosis

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!