angel

¹ American  

[eyn-juhl] / ˈeɪn dʒəl /

noun

1. one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of God. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels).

2. a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes.

3. a messenger, especially of God.

4. a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God.

   an angel of mercy.

5. a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.

6. a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous.

7. an attendant or guardian spirit.

8. a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.

9. a person who provides financial backing for some undertaking, as a play, political campaign, or business venture.

   A group of angels entered the mix, providing George the leverage he needed to take the startup company in a new direction.

   Angels seek deals that they can exit in less than a decade.

10. an English gold coin issued from 1470 to 1634, varying in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s. and bearing on its obverse a figure of the archangel Michael killing a dragon.

11. Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.

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verb (used with object)

angeled, angeling, angelled, angelling

1. Informal. to provide financial backing for.

   Two wealthy friends angeled the Broadway revival of his show.

Angel ² American  

[eyn-juhl, ahn-hel] / ˈeɪn dʒəl, ɑnˈhɛl /

noun

1. a first name.

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angel British  

/ ˈeɪndʒəl /

noun

1. theol one of a class of spiritual beings attendant upon God. In medieval angelology they are divided by rank into nine orders: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations (or dominions), virtues, powers, principalities (or princedoms), archangels, and angels

2. a divine messenger from God

3. a guardian spirit

4. a conventional representation of any of these beings, depicted in human form with wings

5. informal a person, esp a woman, who is kind, pure, or beautiful

6. informal an investor in a venture, esp a backer of a theatrical production

7. Also called: angel-noble.  a former English gold coin with a representation of the archangel Michael on it, first minted in Edward IV's reign

8. informal an unexplained signal on a radar screen

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Usage

Spelling tips for angel The word angel is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is very close in spelling to angle, as in the space between two lines that meet at a point. Second, the beginning sound [ eyn ] is not spelled the way it sounds. How to spell angel:  The first letter of angel is a, not e, because Angels are Amazing. The way to remember that angel ends in an l is that both devil and angel are celestial beings, and they both end in l. Similarly, angle and line are both mathematics terms, and they both end in e.

Etymology

Origin of angel

First recorded before 950; 1890–95 angel for def. 9; Middle English a(u)ngel, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin angelus, from New Testament Greek ángelos “messenger of God,” special use of Greek ángelos “messenger” (to translate Hebrew mal'ākh ), of disputed origin, frequently connected to ángaros “Persian mounted courier,” suggesting derivation from an uncertain source possibly akin to Akkadian agâru “to hire” or egertu “letter,” Persian angareh “journal, narrative,” or Sanskrit ajira “swift”; replacing Old English engel, from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

“I know, my angel. I know,” her mother said through her own tears.

From Literature

While such preparatory drawings often focused on the figures alone, Filippino devotes equal attention to the architectural setting, in this case an open loggia on which the saint is enthroned and surrounded by angels.

From The Wall Street Journal

Valentino's death comes just months after the passing of another Italian great, Giorgio Armani, and along with flowers left outside the Foundation was a note suggesting the pair would now be designing clothes for angels.

From Barron's

One hundred and sixty-five years ago, President Abraham Lincoln stood on the steps of the United States Capitol and appealed to our “better angels.”

From Salon

Laura Turner Igoe, a curator at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Pennsylvania and one of the volume’s contributors, writes that the Gospel-inspired angel “commemorates the bringing of clean water to New York City.”

From The Wall Street Journal