exodus means the departure of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. It carries an Arena rating of 1479, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exodus ranks #194 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #662 of 17,135 for Most Malleable Words, #728 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,738 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
exodus is pronounced /ˈɛksədəs/.
Why “exodus” is a great word
A mass departure of people from a place. From Latin exodus, from Greek exodos ("a going out"), from ex- ("out") + hodos ("way, road, journey"). Unlike migration, which implies a general, often cyclical movement, or evacuation, which denotes an organized removal from danger, an exodus carries the weight of a collective, decisive turning away. It is the dust-choked road out of a drought-stricken valley, the midnight crush at a border crossing, the silent, stunned emptying of a city square—the moment a population becomes a procession, walking out of one story and into the uncertainty of the next.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Exodus, borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἔξοδος (Éxodos), from ἔξοδος (éxodos, “departure”), from ἐξ- (ex-, “out”) + ὁδός (hodós, “path, road”).
name
- The departure of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.
- The second of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible, the second book in the Torah describing the Exodus.
noun
- A sudden departure of a large number of people.
verb
- To depart from a place in a large group.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- exode 77% match — departure; exodus, especially the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt vs exodus →
- exodust 75% match — Of an African-American: to leave a state in the Southern United States as part of a mass migration, especially the Exodus of 1879. vs exodus →
- exodium 65% match — Synonym of exode (“a comic performance after a tragedy”). vs exodus →
- exodos 61% match — A final scene or departure in a play, especially a tragedy. vs exodus →
- exilition 61% match — The act of suddenly jumping up or out. vs exodus →
- brexodus 60% match — The departure of people or companies from the UK due to Brexit. vs exodus →
- hegira 60% match — A journey taken to escape from danger; an exodus. vs exodus →
- exul 57% match — An exile; a person who is exiled. vs exodus →