angel
- 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).
- a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes.
- a messenger, especially of God.
- a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God: an angel of mercy.
- a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.
- a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous.
- an attendant or guardian spirit.
- a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.
- 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.
- 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.
- Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.
- Informal. to provide financial backing for: Two wealthy friends angeled the Broadway revival of his show.
Origin of angel
Angel
- a male or female given name.
Related Words for angel
guardian, cherub, spirit, archangel, sprite, seraph, beauty, treasure, jewel, paragon, ideal, saint, dear, darling, dream, gemExamples from the Web for angel
Contemporary Examples of angel
Especially not when the display in question includes an angel falling from the sky in flames, surrounded by Biblical verses.
Lindsay Ellingson, an “angel” for three years, said she had been inspired by Giselle and Heidi Klum.
It was the voice of an angel, but I wanted the face, the photos, the video of the family.
The baby was naturally attracted to the bowlful of gold and jewels, but an angel intervened and pushed his hand to the other bowl.
Suppose you actually do have an angel over your shoulder telling you the right thing to do.
Historical Examples of angel
“If an angel be a messenger of God, I trow he is one,” said Tibble.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
That I am not now; nor have I been from the moment I beheld this angel of a woman.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
So there is full proof, that she came not from above all at once an angel!
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
If a call come to a man in prison it will be by an angel who can let him out.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
angel
- 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
- a divine messenger from God
- a guardian spirit
- a conventional representation of any of these beings, depicted in human form with wings
- informal a person, esp a woman, who is kind, pure, or beautiful
- informal an investor in a venture, esp a backer of a theatrical production
- 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
- informal an unexplained signal on a radar screen
Word Origin for angel
Word Origin and History for angel
14c. fusion of Old English engel (with hard -g-) and Old French angele, both from Latin angelus, from Greek angelos "messenger, envoy, one that announces," possibly related to angaros "mounted courier," both from an unknown Oriental word (Watkins compares Sanskrit ajira- "swift;" Klein suggests Semitic sources). Used in Scriptural translations for Hebrew mal'akh (yehowah) "messenger (of Jehovah)," from base l-'-k "to send." An Old English word for it was aerendgast, literally "errand-spirit."
Of persons, "loving; lovely," by 1590s. The medieval gold coin (a new issue of the noble, first struck 1465 by Edward VI) was so called for the image of archangel Michael slaying the dragon, which was stamped on it. It was the coin given to patients who had been "touched" for the King's Evil. Angel food cake is from 1881; angel dust "phencyclidine" is from 1968.