theophany

[ thee-of-uh-nee ]

/ θiˈɒf ə ni /

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noun, plural the·oph·a·nies.

a manifestation or appearance of God or a god to a person.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of theophany

1625–35; <Late Latin theophania<Late Greek theopháneia.See theo-, -phany

OTHER WORDS FROM theophany

the·o·phan·ic

[thee-uh-fan-ik], /ˌθi əˈfæn ɪk/, the·oph·a·nous, adjective

Words nearby theophany

only game in town, the, The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, theonomy, theopathy, theophagy, theophany, Theophilus, theophobia, Theophrastus, theophylline, theophylline ethylenediamine

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

How to use theophany in a sentence

The Book of Mormon contains a circumstantial account of this marvelous theophany.
The Vitality of Mormonism--Brief Essays|James E. Talmage
They do not deny a theophany in the gift of Christianity; but they deny two very different things, viz.:—1.
Studies of Christianity|James Martineau
That this is theophany alone;—that is, they look for some divine elements elsewhere; and they look for some human here.
Studies of Christianity|James Martineau
The scene of the theophany, therefore, according to J, is to be placed on the way from Midian to Goshen.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1|Various

All existence is a theophany, and as God is the beginning of all things, so also is He the end.
Esoteric Christianity, or The Lesser Mysteries|Annie Besant

British Dictionary definitions for theophany

theophany

/ (θɪˈɒfənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

theol a manifestation of a deity to man in a form that, though visible, is not necessarily material

Derived forms of theophany

theophanic (θɪəˈfænɪk) or theophanous, adjective

Word Origin for theophany

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