esotery

Esotery is the state or quality of being esoteric—obscure and only understood or intended to be understood by a small number of people with special (and perhaps secret) knowledge.

Esotery is more commonly called esotericism. Another name for it is esoterism.

Esotery often involves knowledge that’s only intended to be revealed to people who have been initiated into a certain group. The word is closely associated with mysticism and the occult.

The word esotery can also refer to esoteric beliefs or writings. A similar term is esoterica, which collectively refers to such knowledge or to books and other works that contain such topics.

Example: To the uninitiated, this kind of esotery is impenetrably arcane.

The first records of the word esotery come from the mid-1700s. It comes from the Greek esóter(os), meaning “inner.” The suffix -y is used to form abstract nouns.

Esotery involves things that can only be understood by an inner circle of people, such as those with in-depth knowledge of an obscure subject. When you come across something that is veiled in esotery, it’s often difficult to understand what any of it means, unless you happen to have the esoteric knowledge needed to comprehend it.

What are some other forms related to esotery?

• esoteric (adjective)

What are some synonyms for esotery?

• esotericism
• esoterism

What are some words that share a root or word element with esotery? 

• esoterica
• exoteric

What are some words that often get used in discussing esotery?

• knowledge
• writing
• literature
• mysticism
• occult
• secret

The word esotery is typically used in discussion of mystical and occult topics, especially obscure writings about them. The word esotericism means the same thing but is more common.

"It is not he who has a parrot-like perfection in ritual…but rather the one who…devotes study to the deeper esotery of the fraternity."

— Cleveland Lodge (@lodge470) May 6, 2012

I've listened to their podcast a few times. it's pretty much nebulous at best, which is everything I hate about online leftists that get too academic. ain't nobody gonna relate to you if you keep your head in the clouds and shroud your beliefs in esotery lol

— communist farmgirl gf (@ProfessorGetter) May 10, 2020

I specialize in obscure obscurantism. A PhD in esoteric esotery.

— Jed Shugerman (@jedshug) June 12, 2020

Is esotery used correctly in the following sentence?

My local independent bookstore has an impressive collection of esotery—there’s some really far-out stuff in there!