angel

angel
/ayn"jeuhl/, n.
1. one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of God. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels).
2. a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes.
3. a messenger, esp. of God.
4. a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God: an angel of mercy.
5. a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.
6. a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous.
7. an attendant or guardian spirit.
8. a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.
9. Informal. a person who provides financial backing for some undertaking, as a play or political campaign.
10. an English gold coin issued from 1470 to 1634, varying in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s. and bearing on its obverse a figure of the archangel Michael killing a dragon.
11. Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.
v.t.
12. Informal. to provide financial backing for.
[bef. 950; 1890-95 for def. 9; ME a(u)ngel ( < AF, OF) < LL angelus < NT Gk ángelos messenger of God, special use of Gk ángelos messenger; r. OE engel < L, as above]

* * *

Primarily in Western religions, any of numerous benevolent spiritual beings who mediate between heaven and earth.

They often serve as messengers or servants of God or as guardians of an individual or nation. In Zoroastrianism the amesha spenta are arranged in a hierarchy of seven. Judaism and Christianity base their notion of angels on references in the Hebrew scriptures to divine servants and to the heavenly hosts. Two archangels (Michael and Gabriel) are mentioned in the Old Testament and two others (Raphael and Uriel) in the Apocrypha. Angels are mentioned throughout the Christian scriptures, and Christian tradition identifies nine orders of angels. Islam's hierarchy of angels descends from the four throne bearers of God to the cherubim who praise God, the four archangels, and lesser angels such as the ḥafaẓah (guardian angels). See also cherub; seraph.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Angel (TV) — Angel (série télévisée) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Angel. Angel Titre original Angel Genre Série fantastique Créateur(s) Joss Whedon David Greenwalt Musique Darling …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ángel — Angel bezeichnet: Angelrute, ein Gerät für den Fischfang die Angel oder den Erl einer Klinge bei Handwaffen und Handwerkzeugen. Siehe auch Erl (Klinge). Angel (Fluss), einen Nebenfluss der Werse in Nordrhein Westfalen, Deutschland Tonangel, ein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ANGEL — Género Erótico, comedia Manga Creado por U Jin Editorial Shōgakukan …   Wikipedia Español

  • Angel — bezeichnet: Angelrute, ein Gerät für den Fischfang die Angel oder den Erl einer Klinge bei Handwaffen und Handwerkzeugen. Siehe auch Erl (Klinge). Angel (Fluss), einen Nebenfluss der Werse in Nordrhein Westfalen, Deutschland Tonangel, ein Gerät… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ángel — (Del lat. angĕlus, y este del gr. ἄγγελος, mensajero). 1. m. En la tradición cristiana, espíritu celeste criado por Dios para su ministerio. 2. Cada uno de los espíritus celestes creados, y en particular los que pertenecen al último de los nueve… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • Angel — An gel, n. [AS. [ae]ngel, engel, influenced by OF. angele, angle, F. ange. Both the AS. and the OF. words are from L. angelus, Gr. a ggelos messenger, a messenger of God, an angel.] 1. A messenger. [R.] [1913 Webster] The dear good angel of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ángel — sustantivo masculino 1. Área: religión Pragmática: eufemismo. Ser espiritual que sirve a Dios y es su mensajero. ángel custodio o ángel de la guarda Entre los católicos, ángel que Dios asigna a cada persona para que la cuide y la proteja. ángel… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • Angel-A — Données clés Réalisation Luc Besson Scénario Luc Besson Sociétés de production EuropaCorp TF1 Films Production Apipoulaï Pays d’origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Angel A. — Réalisation Luc Besson Scénario Luc Besson Musique Anja Garbarek Décors Jacques Bufnoir Costumes Martine Rapin Photographie Thierry Arbogast Montage …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Angel d’Or — Angel d Or ist ein mallorquinischer Orangenlikör aus dem Tal Sóller, mit einem Alkoholgehalt von 31% vol. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft 2 Herstellung 3 Namensgebung 4 Weblinks …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Angel — f, formerly also m English: originally a male name, as in the case of Angel Clare, the chief male character in Thomas Hardy s novel Tess of the D Urbevilles (1891), and derived from the Church Latin name Angelus, from Greek angelos. This meant… …   First names dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”