numinous

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The Word of the Day for May 21 is:

numinous   \NOO-muh-nus\   adjective
   *1 : supernatural, mysterious
     2 : filled with a sense of the presence of divinity : holy
     3 : appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic 
sense : spiritual

Example sentence:
     "Manifold forms of eucalyptus and acacia gave the . . . 
Australian bush its numinous and magical beauty." (Jill Ker 
Conway, _The New York Times Book Review_, March 10, 1991)

Did you know?
     "Numinous" is from the Latin word "numen," meaning "divine 
will" or "nod" (it suggests a figurative nodding, of assent or 
of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been 
using "numen," with the meaning "a spiritual force or 
influence," since the early 1600s. Although Latin users didn't 
feel the need of a related adjective, English speakers 
apparently did. We began using "numinous" in the mid-1600s, 
subsequently endowing it with several senses: "supernatural" 
or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy 
force"), "holy" (as in "the numinous atmosphere of the 
catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" (as in "the 
numinous nuances of her art"). We also created the 
nouns "numinousness" and "numinosity," although these are rare.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.