Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A five-pointed star, often held to have magical or mystical significance, formed by five straight lines connecting the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon in the completed figure. Also called pentagram.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Corrupt forms of pantofle.
- n. A mathematical figure used in magical ceremonies, and considered a defense against demons. It was probably with this figure that the Pythagoreans began their letters, as a symbol of health. In modern English books it is generally assumed that this is the six-pointed star formed of two triangles interlaced or superposed. (Compare
Solomon's seal , under seal.) Obviously, the pentacle must be a five-pointed or five-membered object, and it should be considered as equivalent to the pentagram or pentalpha. (See alsopentangle .) The construction of the five-pointed star depends upon an abstruse proposition discovered in the Pythagorean school, and this star seems to have been from that time adopted as their seal.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A five-pointed star, also called a pentagram or pentalpha. See illustr. under pentalpha. Sometimes referring to a similar figure, such as the figure composed of two equilateral triangles intersecting so as to form a six-pointed star. It was used in early ornamental art, and also with superstitious import by the astrologers and mystics of the Middle Ages. The six-pointed star is more comonly called a
hexagram , or called Solomon's seal; it resembles the star of David (Magen David)
WordNet 3.0
- n. a star with 5 points; formed by 5 straight lines between the vertices of a pentagon and enclosing another pentagon
Etymologies
- Medieval Latin *pentāculum : Greek penta-, penta- + Latin -culum, diminutive suff.
Examples
“Department of Veterans Affairs has refused to allow a symbol of the Wicca religion -- a five-pointed star within a circle, called a pentacle -- to be inscribed on U.S. military memorials or grave markers.”
“TODD: Well the spokesman for the Military Pagan Network tells CNN that the pentacle is a symbol of earth, air, fire, water and spirit.”
“Robert says that the pentacle was the symbol for the goddess, but doesn't mention the four element points.”
“A pentacle is a piece of fine linen, folded with five corners, according to the five senses, and suitably inscribed with characters.”
“(This is also why there's been such a problem getting a Wiccan symbol approved - the pentacle is a universally recognized symbol of Wicca, but there's no official governing body to tell the VA that.)”
“The process was as follows: -- A black square was drawn in the palm of the boy's hand, or rather a kind of pentacle with an Arabic character inscribed at each angle.”
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford
“This star is an important symbol of life and power in the Pagan tradition, and is many times confused with the inverted pentacle, a symbol of Satanism.”
“Water was contaminated from objects falling from the sky, armies of at least 200 million were assembled, the world is simultaneously witnessing the events transpiring, and the Followers of Pan were bearing various forms of the pentacle with Gaia and Pan standing above, and the Euphrates River became barren.”
“From beneath her skirt protruded a pair of Doc Marten boots, and the pentacle she wore on a thong round her neck was large enough to be seen from twenty paces.”
“As he ducked under the tape, the girl with the pentacle caught his jacket.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pentacle’.
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Pickle and such
Words that end like pickle. Listed here because they're funny (because they end like pickle).
pickle, sparkle, yokel, tinkle, fickle, prickle, trickle, circle, snorkel, ensnorkel, chuckle, buckle and 137 more...
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P words
Only the most awesome 'P' words
palinode, palinola, palzogony, pyrrhotism, pulchritude, phocine, pierine, pi, pit, pitty, proton, pyromania and 10 more...
treeseed In some Tarot decks and in some traditions of Wicca, the suit or symbol associated with the North or the Earth realm
Also, in some traditions of Wicca an altar tool used to represent the Earth realm and sometimes used as a kind of work surface for intricate processes used in ritual or spell work. As such, it is made of various types of materials, most often wood and is usually about the size of a small salad plate or saucer and inscribed in some fashion with a pentagram within a circle. Jan 21, 2008