angel means A male given name from Latin Angelus [in turn from Ancient Greek], used since 16th century; or an anglicized spelling of Ángel. It carries an Arena rating of 1408, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, angel ranks #509 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #520 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #2,243 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #3,771 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
angel is pronounced /ˈeɪn.d͡ʒəl/.
Why “angel” is a great word
An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. From Middle English aungel, angel, from Old English anġel, engel, reinforced by Anglo-Norman angele, from Latin angelus ("messenger"), from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, "messenger"), translating Biblical Hebrew מַלְאַךְ (malʾāḳ, "messenger"). Unlike a "cherub," which specifies a particular celestial rank and form, or a "saint," which is a beatified human, an angel remains the general, archetypal envoy from beyond. It is the sudden stillness in a room after bad news, the feather left on the windowsill after a dream, the inexplicable hand that steadies you on the stair—a breath of pure intention given form, suggesting that the universe might, after all, be in correspondence.
Etymology
Two Baroque angels from southern Germany, from the mid-18th century From Middle English aungel, angel, from Old English anġel, either a modification of enġel after its etymon Latin angelus (through the intermediate of Proto-West Germanic *angil) or a reborrowing from the Latin, which is in turn from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman angele, angel, from the same Latin source. The religious sense of the Greek word first appeared in the Septuagint as a translation of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ, “messenger”) or מַלְאַךְ יהוה (malʾāḵ YHWH, “messenger of YHWH”). Doublet of Angelus. Use of the term in some churches to refer to a church official derives from interpreting the "angels" of the Seven churches of Asia in Revelation as being bishops or
name
- A male given name from Latin Angelus [in turn from Ancient Greek], used since 16th century; or an anglicized spelling of Ángel.
- A surname transferred from the nickname originating as a nickname or, rarely, as a patronymic.e.g.“At last when nothing else would do he went off to France upon the business of the firm, but we went, mother and I, with Mr. Hardy, who used to be our foreman, and it was there I met Mr. Hosmer Angel.” — 1891 [September], A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Adventure III.—A Case of Identity.”, in Geo[rge] Newnes, editor, The Strand Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly, volume II (July to
- A female given name from English of modern usage from the English noun angel.
- A player on the team the "Los Angeles Angels" or one of its predecessor "Angels" teams.e.g.“Smith became an Angel as a result of a pre-season trade.”
noun
- An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes.e.g.“The dear good angel of the Spring, / The nightingale.” — 1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad Shepherd:
- An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes.; One of the lowest order of such beings, below virtues.
- A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels.; Someone who is pure or innocent.e.g.“Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel, with public records and interviews with friends and family revealing both problems and promise in his young life.” — 2014 August 25, John Eligon, “Michael Brown Spent Last Weeks Grappling With Problems and Promise”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels.; Someone who is kind or selfless.e.g.“Thanks for making me breakfast in bed, you little angel.”
- A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels.; Someone, especially a woman or child, having youthful, wholesome, or radiant beauty.
- Attendant spirit; genius; demon.
- An official (a bishop, or sometimes a minister) who heads a Christian church, especially a Catholic Apostolic Church.
- An English gold coin, bearing the figure of the archangel Michael, circulated between the 15th and 17th centuries, and varying in value from six shillings and eightpence to ten shillings.
- An altitude, measured in thousands of feet.e.g.“Climb to angels sixty.”
- An unidentified flying object detected by air traffic control radar.
- someone that funds; An angel investor.e.g.““Latent” angels are defined as those who have not invested capital in the past 12 months, although they likely have invested knowledge in the process of reviewing potential investments.” — 2011, OECD, Financing High-Growth Firms: The Role of Angel Investors:
- someone that funds; The person who funds a show.
- A person who has Angelman syndrome; often capitalized.
verb
- To support by donating money.e.g.“Six years ago, he lost $20,000 in the first show he angelled, a turkey called Dance Night.” — 1944, Maurice Zolotow, Never Whistle in a Dressing Room; Or, Breakfast in Bedlam, page 59:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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