apotropaic

[ap-uh-truh-pey-ik] Origin

ap·o·tro·pa·ic

[ap-uh-truh-pey-ik]
adjective
intended to ward off evil.

Origin:
1880–85; < Greek apotrópai(os) averting evil (see apo-, trope) + -ic

ap·o·tro·pa·i·cal·ly, adverb
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Apotropaic has a plethora of syllables.
So is antidisestablishmentarianism. Does it mean:
opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.
Collins
World English Dictionary
apotropaic (ˌæpəʊtrəˈpeɪɪk)
 
adj
preventing or intended to prevent evil
 
[C19: from Greek apotropaios turning away (evil), from apotrepein; see apo-, trope]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

apotropaic
1883, from Gk. apotropaios "averting evil," from apotrepein "to turn away, avert," from apo- "off, away" + trepein "to turn" (see trope).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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