An alternative plural form of herma, used in scholarly and archaeological contexts to refer to multiple boundary pillars with carved heads.
Direct borrowing from the Greek nominative plural 'hermai,' reflecting the original Greek form; used primarily in academic English when discussing classical Greek art and culture.
Scholars prefer 'hermai' over the anglicized 'hermas' when they want to sound rigorous—it signals they're directly citing Greek sources, like using French words in fashion criticism.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.