NYT Dictionary
PENTACLE
/ˈpɛnt.ə.kl̩/NounPEN-ta-clepen-ta-cle · 3 syllablesGrade 9
Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2023
Meaning
A flat talisman, almost always star-shaped, made of parchment, sheet metal, or other substance, marked with a magic symbol or symbols, used in magical evocation.
Etymology
Origin: French
PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle French pentacle, from Old French pentacol (“pendant”), from pent (“hangs”), a (“from”), and col (“neck”), thus "hangs from neck". Likely reanalyzed in medieval times as coming from penta- (“five”) and -culum (object forming suffix), as evidenced by the Latinized form pentaculum and the narrowing of the modern sense to a five-pointed design, especially a pentagram.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
Antonyms
inverted pentagram
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 1 recorded puzzle, including a pangram: