angel

¹

[eyn-juhl]

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.

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

[eyn-juhl, ahn-hel]

noun

1. a first name.

angel

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of angel¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of angel¹

Old English, from Late Latin angelus, from Greek angelos messenger

Example Sentences

I thought of Hebrews 13:2: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

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The angel’s head is presented on the same level as the Virgin’s, in perfect symmetry, his words projecting out as gold letters.

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The gold-painted dome ceiling has a florid original mural of angels that Trinity Broadcasting founder Paul Crouch called “Orange County’s own Sistine Chapel.”

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Some survivors among these “fallen angels” have bounced by multiples since then, earning tidy profits for more patient investors.

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Niles caught the scent of her bloodlust, she says at a public reading, “and like some dark angel, made manifest a wish too horrible to name.”

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When To Use

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.