antiscians
|an-tis-ci-ans|
🇺🇸
/ænˈtɪsiənz/
🇬🇧
/ænˈtɪsɪənz/
(antiscian)
mirror / opposite-shadow point
Etymology
'antiscian' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'antiskia', where 'anti-' meant 'opposite' and 'skia' meant 'shadow'.
'antiscian' changed from the Greek word 'antiskia' through Late Latin/Medieval Latin forms such as 'antiscion' or 'antiscionem' and was borrowed into English in technical astrological usage as 'antiscion/antiscian' (plural 'antiscians').
Initially it meant 'opposite shadow' (a literal compound of 'opposite' + 'shadow'), but over time it evolved into a technical astrological term for a 'mirror' or symmetric point on the zodiac.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'antiscian': in astrology, points on the zodiac that are mirror images of other points with respect to the solstitial axis (traditionally the Cancer–Capricorn axis); used to describe symmetrical or reflected positions thought to share influence with their counterparts.
Medieval astrologers often considered the antiscians of the Sun and Moon when interpreting a horoscope.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/09 14:04