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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

angel.

An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/[ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]/ˈæɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]Australia, New-Zealand
  1. An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes.

  2. An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. One of the lowest order of such beings, below virtues.

  3. A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels. Someone who is pure or innocent.

    figuratively
  4. A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels. Someone who is kind or selfless.

    figuratively
    Thanks for making me breakfast in bed, you little angel.
  5. A person having qualities traditionally attributed to angels. Someone, especially a woman or child, having youthful, wholesome, or radiant beauty.

    figuratively
  6. Attendant spirit; genius; demon.

    obsolete
  7. An official (a bishop, or sometimes a minister) who heads a Christian church, especially a Catholic Apostolic Church.

    obsolete · possibly
  8. An English gold coin, bearing the figure of the archangel Michael, circulated between the 15th and 17th centuries, and varying in value from six shillings and eightpence to ten shillings.

    historical
  9. An altitude, measured in thousands of feet.

    slang
    Climb to angels sixty.
  10. An unidentified flying object detected by air traffic control radar.

    colloquial · dated
  11. someone that funds An angel investor.

  12. someone that funds The person who funds a show.

Where this word comes from

Two Baroque angels from southern Germany, from the mid-18th century Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos)bor. Latin angelusbor. Proto-West Germanic *angil Old English enġel ▲ Latin angelusbor. Old English anġel Middle English aungel English angel From Middle English aungel, angel, from Old English anġel, either a modification of enġel after its etymon Latin angelus (through the intermediate of Proto-West Germanic *angil) or a reborrowing from the Latin, which is in turn from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman angele, angel, from the same Latin source. The religious sense of the Greek word first appeared in the Septuagint as a translation of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ, “messenger”) or מַלְאַךְ יהוה (malʾāḵ YHWH, “messenger of YHWH”). Doublet of Angelus. Use of the term in some churches to refer to a church official derives from interpreting the "angels" of the Seven churches of Asia in Revelation as being bishops or ministers rather than angelic beings.

verb/ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/[ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]/ˈæɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]Australia, New-Zealand
  1. To support by donating money.

    slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

Two Baroque angels from southern Germany, from the mid-18th century Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos)bor. Latin angelusbor. Proto-West Germanic *angil Old English enġel ▲ Latin angelusbor. Old English anġel Middle English aungel English angel From Middle English aungel, angel, from Old English anġel, either a modification of enġel after its etymon Latin angelus (through the intermediate of Proto-West Germanic *angil) or a reborrowing from the Latin, which is in turn from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”); later reinforced by Anglo-Norman angele, angel, from the same Latin source. The religious sense of the Greek word first appeared in the Septuagint as a translation of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ, “messenger”) or מַלְאַךְ יהוה (malʾāḵ YHWH, “messenger of YHWH”). Doublet of Angelus. Use of the term in some churches to refer to a church official derives from interpreting the "angels" of the Seven churches of Asia in Revelation as being bishops or ministers rather than angelic beings.

noun/ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/[ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]/ˈæɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/Australia, New-Zealand[ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl] ~ [ˈæ̝ɪ̯n.d͡ʒl̩]Australia, New-Zealand
  1. A person who has Angelman syndrome; often capitalized.

    informal
Where this word comes from

Clipping of Angelman.

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.