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theophany

[thee-of-uh-nee]
noun, plural the·oph·a·nies.
  1. a manifestation or appearance of God or a god to a person.
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Origin of theophany

1625–35; < Late Latin theophania < Late Greek theopháneia. See theo-, -phany
Related formsthe·o·phan·ic [thee-uh-fan-ik] /ˌθi əˈfæn ɪk/, the·oph·a·nous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for theophany

Historical Examples

  • But the result of the theophany is small only in the same fashion as its cause was small.

    The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1

    A. Maclaren

  • The expression is notable, for the song of the sky is thunder and the theophany that of Sinai.

  • They do not deny a theophany in the gift of Christianity; but they deny two very different things, viz.:—1.

  • That this is theophany alone;—that is, they look for some divine elements elsewhere; and they look for some human here.

  • In all these cases the angels, like the Mal'akh Yahweh, are connected with or represent a theophany.

British Dictionary definitions for theophany

theophany

noun plural -nies
  1. theol a manifestation of a deity to man in a form that, though visible, is not necessarily material
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Derived Formstheophanic (θɪəˈfænɪk) or theophanous, adjective

Word Origin

C17: from Late Latin theophania, from Late Greek theophaneia, from theo- + phainein to show
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 theophany

n.

1630s, from Late Latin theophania, from Greek theophaneia, from theos "god" (see Thea) + phainein "to show" (see phantasm).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper