manna

American  

[man-uh] / ˈmæn ə /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the food miraculously supplied to the ancient Israelites in the wilderness.

2. any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success.

3. divine or spiritual food.

4. the exudation of the ash Fraxinus ornus and related plants: source of mannitol.

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manna British  

/ ˈmænə /

noun

1. Old Testament the miraculous food which sustained the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16:14–36)

2. any spiritual or divine nourishment

3. a windfall; an unexpected gift (esp in the phrase manna from heaven )

4. a sweet substance obtained from various plants, esp from an ash tree, Fraxinus ornus ( manna or flowering ash ) of S Europe, used as a mild laxative

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Etymology

Origin of manna

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek mánna, from Hebrew mān, possibly meaning “gift, favor”

Example Sentences

The 1980s reforms were like manna from heaven for him.

From BBC

A few weeks later, a reservation at Camélia in the Arts District presented itself like manna from heaven.

From Los Angeles Times

When I got home, I flung myself onto the couch, basking in the AC’s icy coolness as if it were manna from heaven.

From Los Angeles Times

Turns out, an intermittent schedule of reinforcement — occasional pellets of counterfeit love dispensed like unpredictable manna — proves most effective to keep us pressing.

From Salon

"As soon as you are able to obfuscate the true nature of a URL, that is manna for scammers," he says.

From BBC