Od
/ɒd/noun
A supposed subtle force or energy present in living beings and certain objects, proposed in the nineteenth century by Baron Karl von Reichenbach.
Did you know?Reichenbach claimed that specially sensitive people could see or feel odic force flowing from magnets, crystals, flames, and even human bodies, though science never validated it.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic, proposed association
Proto-Germanic
*Wōðanaz
“A reconstructed name associated with the Germanic god later known as Odin or Woden; this is the debated inspiration behind the coined term Od.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
Óðinn
“The name of the god Odin, associated with inspiration, ecstasy, knowledge, and magic.”
Old English
Old English
Wōden
“The English Germanic form of Odin’s name, preserved in the name of Wednesday.”
1850s
German
Od
“A term coined by Karl von Reichenbach for a hypothesized subtle force or emanation from living beings and physical substances.”
19th Century
English
od
“A supposed psychic, magnetic, or vital force, especially in spiritualist and occult writing.”
Modern English
English
od
“An obscure historical term for Reichenbach’s proposed invisible life-force, now regarded as scientifically unsupported.”