archangel
/ɑː(ɹ)ˈkeɪn.d͡ʒəl/ noun, proper noun
Forms archangels
- noun A powerful angel that leads many other angels, but is still loyal to a deity, and often seen as belonging to a particular archangelical rank or order within a greater hierarchy of angels. (Judeo-Christian examples: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel).
- noun Synonym of angelica (“the garden herb”).
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English archangel, from Old French archangele, from Latin archangelus, from Ancient Greek ἀρχάγγελος (arkhángelos) from Ancient Greek prefix ἀρχι- (arkhi-) + ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”). By surface analysis, arch- + angel.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A chief angel; one high in the celestial hierarchy. Milton.
- noun A term applied to several different species of plants (Angelica archangelica, Lamium album, etc.).
Etymology [L. archangelus, Gr. archangel, F. archange. See Arch-, pref., and Angel.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “archangel”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details