incarnation

[in-kahr-ney-shuh n]

See more synonyms for incarnation on Thesaurus.com

noun

an incarnate being or form.
a living being embodying a deity or spirit.
assumption of human form or nature.

the Incarnation, (sometimes lowercase) Theology. the doctrine that the second person of the Trinity assumed human form in the person of Jesus Christ and is completely both God and man.
a person or thing regarded as embodying or exhibiting some quality, idea, or the like: The leading dancer is the incarnation of grace.
the act of incarnating.
state of being incarnated.

Origin of incarnation

1250–1300; Middle English incarnacion < Late Latin incarnātiōn- (stem of incarnātiō) equivalent to incarnāt(us) incarnate + -iōn- -ion

Related formsin·car·na·tion·al, adjectivepost·in·car·na·tion, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for incarnation

incorporation, epitome, embodiment, manifestation, body, substance

Examples from the Web for incarnation

Contemporary Examples of incarnation

In its first incarnation, Another Country helped launch the careers of a generation of British acting stars.
Bring ‘Another Country’ to Broadway: Why a Hit British Classic Needs Its New York Moment
Tom Teodorczuk
June 2, 2014
Its original distinctiveness is something to proud of, but not its current incarnation.
Don’t Remember Barbara Walters for ‘The View’
Tim Teeman
April 8, 2014
Tom Baker, who played the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, said he will appear in the 50th anniversary special.
A Primer For Doctor Who’s ‘Day of the Doctor’ Episode
Chancellor Agard
November 23, 2013
Thus, Eccleston is still considered to be the Ninth Doctor since he is the ninth incarnation to take up that name.
A Primer For Doctor Who’s ‘Day of the Doctor’ Episode
Chancellor Agard
November 23, 2013
She is seen standing alongside the War Doctor and not the Tenth Incarnation.
A Primer For Doctor Who’s ‘Day of the Doctor’ Episode
Chancellor Agard
November 23, 2013

Historical Examples of incarnation

We are told that this incarnation came in the fullness of time.
Understanding the Scriptures
Francis McConnell
And because he was an incarnation he was, in his way, a tragedy.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
Seward is the incarnation of confusion, and of political faithlessness.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski
She was the incarnation of dignified and somewhat resentful surprise.
Fair Harbor
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
The priest of the future disappeared in a Pope who was the incarnation of the past.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for incarnation

incarnation

noun

the act of manifesting or state of being manifested in bodily form, esp human form
a bodily form assumed by a god, etc
a person or thing that typifies or represents some quality, idea, etcthe weasel is the incarnation of ferocity

Incarnation

noun

Christian theol the assuming of a human body by the Son of God
Christianity the presence of God on Earth in the person of Jesus

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

Word Origin and History for incarnation

c.1300, "embodiment of God in the person of Christ," from Old French incarnacion (12c.), from Late Latin incarnationem (nominative incarnatio), "act of being made flesh" (used by Church writers especially of God in Christ), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin incarnare "to make flesh," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + caro (genitive carnis) "flesh" (see carnage).

incarnation in Culture

Incarnation

The Christian belief that the Son, the second person of the Trinity, was incarnated, or made flesh, in the person of Jesus, in order to save the world from original sin (see also original sin).