epiphany
(initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity.
a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.
Origin of epiphany
1Other words from epiphany
- ep·i·phan·ic [ep-uh-fan-ik], /ˌɛp əˈfæn ɪk/, e·piph·a·nous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use epiphany in a sentence
It’s the heat of that epiphany that stays with the reader long after reading the last sentence.
Dantiel W. Moniz’s ‘Milk Blood Heat’ thrums with life while considering death | Michele Filgate | February 1, 2021 | Washington Post“For most users, that’s an epiphany because they’ve never seen these numbers before, and the math required — even if you do it in Excel — the math required to figure that out is beyond most people,” Georgiev says.
Charlie launches a mobile app that ‘gamifies’ getting out of debt | Sarah Perez | January 27, 2021 | TechCrunchIf anything, Rihm says, Armada could have been more bullish after that epiphany.
Yet some said Twelfth Day cut her out, for she came all royal and glittering and Epiphanous.
The Pearl Story Book | Various
British Dictionary definitions for epiphany (1 of 2)
/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /
the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality
any moment of great or sudden revelation
Origin of epiphany
1Derived forms of epiphany
- epiphanic (ˌɛpɪˈfænɪk), adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Epiphany (2 of 2)
/ (ɪˈpɪfənɪ) /
a Christian festival held on Jan 6, commemorating, in the Western Church, the manifestation of Christ to the Magi and, in the Eastern Church, the baptism of Christ
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Epiphany
[ (i-pif-uh-nee) ]
A festival in Christianity celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means “a showing forth” — in this case a showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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