cherub

American  

[cher-uhb] / ˈtʃɛr əb /

noun

plural

cherubs, cherubim

1. (in the Bible) a celestial being.

2. Theology. a member of the second order of angels, often represented as a beautiful rosy-cheeked child with wings.

3. a beautiful or innocent person, especially a child.

4. a person, especially a child, with a sweet, chubby, innocent face.

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cherub British  

/ tʃəˈruːbɪk, ˈtʃɛrəb /

noun

1. theol a member of the second order of angels, whose distinctive gift is knowledge, often represented as a winged child or winged head of a child

2. an innocent or sweet child

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Other Word Forms

• cherubic adjective
• cherubical adjective
• cherubically adverb
• cherublike adjective

Etymology

Origin of cherub

First recorded before 900; Middle English, from Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew kərūbh; replacing Middle English cherubin, Old English c(h)erubin, cerubim (all singular), from Latin cherūbim, from Greek, from Hebrew kərūbhīm (plural)

Explanation

You might think of a rosy-faced child as a cherub, conjuring up an image of chubby, naked angels cavorting amongst the clouds. That image comes from the most familiar use of the word, which was to name an order of angels. The image we have of a cherub, chubby-cheeked babies with wings, actually wasn't around until the Renaissance, when artists depicted the lower-order angels as children. Prior to that, the word evolved from the Hebrew kĕrūḇ, and was taken from the Aramaic kĕ-raḇyā which meant "child-like." It was this translation that encouraged the idea of a cherub as being portrayed as a child. The plural form, "cherubim" also follows the Hebrew grammar rule of creating plurals by adding the suffix -im.

Example Sentences

Church and government officials launched an investigation after pictures of a cherub at the Basilica of St Lawrence in Lucina showed her newly restored face had an uncanny likeness to right-wing leader, Giorgia Meloni.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

They led by 11 after the first quarter, 17 at halftime, 33 after three, and they just kept piling it on, so much that Jack Nicholson spent the game looking like a gleeful cherub.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2023

A cherub statue the Welnicks placed outside as a memorial to a child they lost to miscarriage looked down at the rubble.

From Seattle Times • May 1, 2022

If a cherub were a teapot, then this would be it.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2022

Artemis had had it installed behind a cherub over the main entrance.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer