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• beatitude
  beatitude

  noun

  supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.
• Beatitude
  Beatitude

  noun

  New Testament any of eight distinctive sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–11) in which he declares that the poor, the meek, those that mourn, the merciful, the peacemakers, the pure of heart, those that thirst for justice, and those that are persecuted will, in various ways, receive the blessings of heaven

beatitude

American  

[bee-at-i-tood, -tyood] / biˈæt ɪˌtud, -ˌtyud /

noun

1. supreme blessedness; exalted happiness.

2. (often initial capital letter) any of the declarations of blessedness pronounced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

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beatitude ¹ British  

/ bɪˈætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. supreme blessedness or happiness

2. an honorific title of the Eastern Christian Church, applied to those of patriarchal rank

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Beatitude ² British  

/ bɪˈætɪˌtjuːd /

noun

1. New Testament any of eight distinctive sayings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–11) in which he declares that the poor, the meek, those that mourn, the merciful, the peacemakers, the pure of heart, those that thirst for justice, and those that are persecuted will, in various ways, receive the blessings of heaven

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Etymology

Origin of beatitude

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin beātitūdō perfect happiness, equivalent to beāti- ( see beatific) + -tūdō -tude

Explanation

If you're extraordinarily happy, you might describe what you're feeling as beatitude. The noun beatitude refers to a state of great joy. Being blessed, or at least feeling blessed, is often linked to beatitude. Beatitude inherited its blessedness from the Latin word beatus, meaning both "happy" and "blessed." In the Bible, the Beatitudes are a series of eight blessings, such as "Blessed are those poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And in 1958 writer Jack Kerouac coined the term "The Beat Generation" because he felt its members were seeking beatitude.

Example Sentences

The Vatican, and before it the Holy See’s embassy in Ukraine, spoke out after Ukraine’s Greek Catholic leader, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, bitterly complained about Francis’ remarks.

From Washington Times • Aug. 29, 2023

A founding member of Beatitude, the seminal Beat periodical, alongside Allen Ginsberg, John Kelly and others, Kaufman is sometimes shorthanded as the “Black Beat.”

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2023

“I know that your Beatitude will continue in this commitment to fostering the unity of all Christ’s disciples,” said the Nuncio.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2023

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who heads the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, “for a truce on the occasion of the celebration of Easter according to the Julian calendar,” which takes place Sunday.

From Washington Times • Apr. 21, 2022

Am I so unfortunate as to have offended your Beatitude?

From Imaginary Conversations and Poems A Selection by Landor, Walter Savage