manna

[ man-uh ]

See synonyms for manna on Thesaurus.com

noun

the food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness. Exodus 16:14–36.
any sudden or unexpected help, advantage, or aid to success.

divine or spiritual food.
the exudation of the ash Fraxinus ornus and related plants: source of mannitol.

Origin of manna

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

Words that may be confused with manna

manna , manner, manor

Words Nearby manna

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use manna in a sentence

Reduced gas prices are manna for common Ukrainians, who once paid more for Russian gas than did Western Europeans.
Why Did Ukraine’s Eurolution Fail? | Vijai Maheshwari | January 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Unsurprisingly, the junior senator from Texas is manna to talk-radio warriors.
Ted Cruz’s Biggest Cheerleaders Are (Where Else?) on Right-Wing Talk Radio | Michelle Cottle | September 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Instead, the bombs America will drop will be manna for ISIS.
How U.S. Strikes on Syria Help al Qaeda | Barak Barfi | August 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
For Romney, a three-way tie for first place in Iowa is manna from heaven.
Media Hype About Mitt Romney’s Iowa Showing Is Wrong | Peter Beinart | January 4, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The ark of the covenant was a wooden chest, and its contents (a pot, some manna, and Aaron's rod) were materialities.
Communism and Christianism | William Montgomery Brown

No raw fowls visit my bedside here; food comes as I wish it to come when I am painting, like manna from heaven.
Penelope's English Experiences | Kate Douglas Wiggin
The strong have fed and grown fat upon a larger and ever larger share of the manna.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind | Herbert George Wells
When Moses was the prophet of Israel, they were fed with manna from heaven.
Jesus, The Messiah; or, the Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in the New Testament Scriptures | (A Lady) Anonymous
When the Israelites had crossed Jordan and eaten of the old corn of the land, the manna ceased.
The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews | Thomas Charles Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for manna

manna

/ (ˈmænə) /

noun

Old Testament the miraculous food which sustained the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16:14–36)
any spiritual or divine nourishment

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

Origin of manna

Old English via Late Latin from Greek, from Hebrew mān

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

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