Extramuros

Avout use “extramuros” to denote people, places, and activity outside a walled Math. In everyday speech it often appears as a phrase—“the extramuros world” or simply “extramuros”—to contrast the non‑mathic world with life under the Discipline.

First appearance and context

Within the concent, the term is used when speaking of visitors and artisans from outside who are admitted under supervision to perform practical work (such as repairs) and to describe how outsiders observe rites when permitted. It also appears in reflective discussions where avout frame their vocation as reducing causal linkages with the “extramuros world,” highlighting a deliberate separation from day‑to‑day goings‑on beyond the walls.

Description and role

“Extramuros” literally means “outside the walls.” In current usage among avout it functions chiefly as an adjective, contrasting outside customs, tools, and speech with those maintained within the Discipline. The phrase can carry different shades depending on conditions beyond the gates—from nearby towns and markets to the broader non‑mathic society at large. Avout sometimes speak of “society extramuros,” acknowledging that those immersed in outside life may overlook gradual change that is easier to detect from within a cloistered routine.

Relationships and functions

• Boundary term distinguishing the non‑mathic world from life inside a Math; commonly used to compare practices, language, and technology across that divide.
• Interface and service: extramuros artisans may be admitted for supervised tasks; avout may, at times, engage in interviews or inquiries meant to inform or benefit the world outside.
• Governance context: contact is tolerated and at times protected by the Saecular Power, though the degree of protection or tolerance can vary.

Current status

“Extramuros” remains active in everyday usage, including adjectival phrases like “the extramuros world,” as a shorthand for the people, goods, and practices beyond math walls. Contact and connotation shift with circumstances outside, but the term consistently marks the boundary between the mathic world and the society beyond.