cherub

American  

[cher-uhb] / ˈtʃɛr əb /

noun

cherubs, plural cherubim plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

noun

• cherubim
  plural
• cherubs
  plural

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

The wall painting is located in a chapel dedicated to Italy's last king, Umberto II, and shows the cherub holding a map of Italy.

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

The moment we were alone, the guiltless cherub mutated into Cerberus, screaming and scratching at me.

From New York Times • Apr. 11, 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

But it turned out Andrecito was such a sweet cherub of a baby that his diapers didn’t bother me.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau