Other forms: exorcisms
An exorcism is a ceremony to drive an evil spirit out. Perform an exorcism, request an exorcism, the rite of exorcism.
The Catholic Church still permits it and requires that medical and psychiatric causes be excluded first, which is a real safeguard — people have died in exorcisms carried out without one. The Greek means to bind by an oath.
1nounexorcismA ceremony to drive out an evil spirit.
“In the film, a priest performs an exorcism on a young girl.”
exorcism is a ceremony.
EX-orcism → the EXIT
The priest opens every door and window in the house and points at the exit until whatever has been living in the walls goes out through it.
hooks ontoexit
Greek exorkizein means to bind by oath — ex plus horkos, an oath.
Ancient Greek
ἐξορκίζω — to ward off, to charge under oath, adjure
Latin
exorcizō
Old French
exorciser
English, today
exorcism
From Old French exorciser, from Latin exorcizō, from Ancient Greek ἐξορκίζω (“to ward off, to charge under oath, adjure”), from ἐξ + ὅρκος.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA