hermetic powder
Preserved but no longer current.
A sympathetic powder, supposed to possess a healing influence, from a distance; so called by mediaeval philosophers out of compliment to Hermes Trismegistus. (Sir Kenelm Digby: Discourse Concerning the Cure of Wounds by the Sympathetic Powder, 1644.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “hermetic powder” mean?
A sympathetic powder, supposed to possess a healing influence, from a distance; so called by mediaeval philosophers out of compliment to Hermes Trismegistus. (Sir Kenelm Digby: Discourse Concerning the Cure of Wounds by the Sympathetic Powder, 1644.
Is “hermetic powder” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.