Her"mes (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;.]
1. (Myth.) See Mercury.
&fist; Hermes Trismegistus
[Gr. 'Ermh^s trisme`gistos, lit., Hermes thrice greatest] was a late name of Hermes, especially as identified with the Egyptian god Thoth. He was
the fabled inventor of astrology and alchemy.
2. (Archæology) Originally, a boundary stone dedicated to Hermes as
the god of
boundaries, and therefore
bearing in some cases a head, or head
and shoulders, placed upon a quadrangular pillar whose height is that of the body belonging to the head, sometimes having feet or other
parts of the body sculptured upon it. These figures, though often representing Hermes, were used for other divinities, and even, in later times, for portraits of human beings. Called also herma. See Terminal statue, under Terminal.
Hear it pronounced