Something that is hidden from one's understanding or which is not susceptible to logical or rational verification: Examples of occults include: magic, foretelling the future, telepathy, clairvoyance, and extrasensory perception or ESP.

1. Descriptive of supernatural powers or activities: Edward was convinced that his wife had occult powers because she could accurately predict so many things.
2. Pertaining to a medical condition that is concealed from view or which is difficult to detect: At first, Melody's occult tumor was not as obvious to the doctors as such a condition is normally determined.

The professor informed his medical students that occult conditions are not readily apparent because they can be difficult to recognize; such as, certain infections that are present in the blood, or even a tumor when its primary existence is not obvious but whose metastasis, or the spread of cancer, is evident.

3. Etymology: from Latin occultus; from occulare, "to cover, to hide". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

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To conceal or to cause something to disappear from view: Jeremiah was a student of astronomy and he was excited as he watched the moon occult Mars.

He has seen planets and stars occulted by other celestial bodies before and it is always a wonderful experience for him.

The bodily fluid that exists in various products of the body which is too difficult to see or to find: There are situations in which blood exists in such small quantities; such as, in feces, that the only way to find any occult blood is by microscopic examinations or by chemical procedures.

Sometimes, determining whether a patient has colorectal (colon and rectum) cancer is done by testing the occult blood in the feces of those who are suffering from some ailment but who do not show any obvious symptoms or indications of what is actually causing their discomfort.

An element that is expected to be present in a rock; perhaps, from the evidence of chemical analysis, but which is not found there: The geologists were mystified by the fact that there were no occult minerals in the stone formations in the area near the coast.

The research of the secrets of nature: The occult sciences involve investigations and research into physical, psychic, mental, magic, and astrology; among other aspects of human existence.

An ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts and causes an infection which does not produce symptoms: It took a long time for the medical technicians to determine that Jennifer was becoming ill as a result of an occult virus.

The supernatural powers or practices of someone and the things that are connected with them: Brenda was studying the various claims by those who were promoting the occults and she was having more and more doubts about the realities of such beliefs.