| 释义 |
angeln. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from French. Etymons: Latin angelus; French aungel. Etymology: Originally (in Old English) < post-classical Latin angelus (see note). In Middle English reinforced by or reborrowed < Anglo-Norman aungel, aungele, aungil, aungle, engle, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French angel, angele, angle (French ange, with loss of final consonant, from 13th cent.; for the chief senses of the French noun, see below) < post-classical Latin angelus evil spirit, demon (Vulgate; late 2nd cent. in Tertullian), good spirit (Vulgate; late 2nd or early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), messenger, ministering spirit, spiritual being (Vulgate; early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), messenger of God, preacher, prophet (Vulgate), gold coin (from 1509 in British sources) < ancient Greek ἄγγελος messenger, in Hellenistic Greek also ministering spirit or divine messenger (Septuagint, New Testament; in this specific sense after Hebrew mal'āḵ messenger (in mal'āḵ 'ădōnāy, lit. ‘messenger of the Lord’, and mal'āḵ 'ĕlōhīm, lit. ‘messenger of God’), denoting a spiritual being intermediary between God and man); further etymology uncertain, perhaps a loanword.Foreign-language parallels. Similar or shared borrowing is shown by forms in other Germanic languages; compare Old Frisian angel , engel , ingel (West Frisian ingel ), Old Dutch engel (Middle Dutch engel , ingel , Dutch engel ), Old Saxon engil (Middle Low German engel ), Old High German engil , engel , angil (Middle High German engel , German Engel ), Old Icelandic engill , Old Danish ængæl (Danish engel ), Old Swedish ængil (Swedish ängel ), and Gothic aggilus . The details of the borrowing of this early Christian loanword are uncertain. The primary route of transmission into West Germanic languages was probably < post-classical Latin angelus , while Gothic aggilus is apparently directly < Greek ἄγγελος . In Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic engill ) the word was perhaps earliest borrowed < Old English. The descendants of the Latin noun in the chief Romance languages are: Old Occitan angel (end of the 11th cent.), Catalan àngel (12th cent.), Spanish ángelo (a1207), Portuguese anjo (14th cent.; 13th cent. as †angeo ), Italian angelo (beginning of the 13th cent.). The Latin and Greek words were also borrowed into other European languages at an early date. Compare e.g. ( < Latin) Early Irish aingel (Irish aingeal ), Welsh angel (13th cent.), Old Polish angieł (Polish anioł ), and ( < Greek) Old Church Slavonic angelŭ , Old Russian angel″ (Russian angel ). Chief senses of the French noun. The chief senses of French ange (in all its historical forms) are: spiritual being intermediate between God and man (mid 11th cent.), messenger (c1170), evil spirit, demon, any of a number of spiritual beings traditionally believed to have rebelled against God and to have been cast down into hell as a punishment (end of the 13th cent.), any of various French gold coins bearing on their obverse the image of an angel (1340, originally denoting such a coin struck by King Philip VI), representation of an angel (c1350), attendant spirit, especially a benevolent one (c1377, chiefly in bon ange ), pure, innocent, or morally good person (15th cent., originally with specific reference to a person who is well advanced in the spiritual life), beautiful or beloved person, especially with reference to a woman or girl (1598). Specific senses. In the specific use in Islamic theology in sense 1a(a), after Arabic malak angel ( < the same Semitic base as Hebrew mal'āḵ ). In sense 5 ultimately < ancient Greek ἄγγελος messenger. In sense 5b after post-classical Latin angelus (Vulgate) and its etymon Hellenistic Greek ἄγγελος (New Testament), perhaps ultimately after post-biblical Hebrew šeli'aḥ ṣibbūr (see below). In sense 5c after post-biblical Hebrew šeli'aḥ ṣibbūr shaliach tzibur n. Form and pronunciation history. Old English engel (also ængel ) shows i-mutation of a in the first syllable (compare Old Saxon engil , Old High German engil , etc.), resulting from earlier -i- in the second syllable (either by phonological development or suffix substitution). Unmutated forms such as Old English angel reflect renewed influence of the Latin etymon. Forms with initial a such as angel prevail in Middle English chiefly due to the combined influence of post-classical Latin angelus and medieval French angele , angle , although they also coincide with the reflexes of the less frequent Old English ængel and angel . In Middle English, as in Anglo-Norman, the tonic vowel varied between ă and the diphthong au ; the latter was monophthongized to ā in late Middle English and then (by the process of the Great Vowel Shift) regularly yielded /eː/ (now /eɪ/). Early modern orthoepists record variation in the tonic vowel between the reflexes of Middle English ă and ā ( < au ). See further E. J. Dobson Eng. Pronunc. 1500–1700 (ed. 2, 1968) II. §§ 62 & 104, and compare e.g. danger n., manger n.1 In Old English engel, g in the group ng was perhaps palatalized and assibilated in the uninflected form (but not in inflected engl-, before a consonant), although it is not distinguished in spelling. In any case, however, it is clear that the modern pronunciation with affricate ( /dʒ/) is chiefly due to the influence of the pronunciation of Anglo-Norman and French angel. I. A celestial being, and related senses. 1. a. the world > the supernatural > deity > angel > [noun] OE Ælfric (Royal) (1997) i. 187 Þa asende he his engel [a1225 Vesp. A.xxii ængel] to anum mædene of þam cynne, seo wæs maria gehaten. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris (1873) 2nd Ser. 31 Ðo cam on angel of heuene to hem. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) ii. l. 298 (MED) And for that cause doun he [sc. Jupiter] sente An Angel, which aboute wente, That he the sothe knowe mai. 1566 T. Becon i. f. 42v God sent his angels..to preach vnto two or thre shepheards. 1602 W. Watson tr. E. Pasquier i. ix. 24 As hee was saying Masse at Mount Cassin, hee saw an Angell carry Hosius soule with ioy to heauen. 1700 N. Tate & N. Brady 9/1 Forthwith appear'd a shining Throng Of Angels praising God. 1845 D. Shea & A. Troyer tr. III. Index 362/1 Nakir, an angel visiting the dead. 1900 A. Lillie x. 170 The Buddhist rite of baptism finds its sanction in two incidents in the Buddhist scriptures... In the second, angels administer the holy rite. 1953 81 364 In the heart of a mountain, guarded by an angel with flaming wings, was a beautiful garden. 2000 (Nexis) 20 Dec. E1 Seraphim..are listed in the Bible as one of the nine orders of angels who stand in the presence of God. OE Ælfric (Royal) (1997) xl. 526 Heofona miht sind englas & heahenglas, þrymsetl, ealdorscipas, hlafordscipas, & anwealdu. a1450 (?c1343) R. Rolle Ego Dormio (Cambr.) in (1931) 61 (MED) Þe lawest ierarchi contenes aungels, archaungels, and vertues. 1574 H. Howard 62 The Churche triumphant, where diuersitie of degrees may well be proued as..Angels, Archangels, Thrones, dominions, principalities, powers. 1756 A. Butler II. 317 The fathers from the sacred oracles distinguish nine Orders of these holy spirits, namely, the Seraphims, Cherubims and Thrones; Dominations, Principalities and Powers; Virtues, Archangels and Angels. 1831 May 201 This day is set apart in commemoration of our blessed Saviour's triumphant ascension into heaven, where he is placed far above all angels, and archangels, principalities, and powers, even at the right-hand of God. 2003 R. Taylor 173 The first and highest order is known as the Counsellors... The second order is the Governors (or Rulers)... The third order, the Messengers, embraces Principalities, Archangels, and, at the bottom of the pile, the Angels. the world > the supernatural > deity > angel > [noun] > representation of society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation > religious c1425 J. Lydgate (Augustus A.iv) iii. l. 5624 (MED) An angel stood of golde burned briȝt, Coriously þe werke to sustene. 1636 H. Burton 161 What Prescription can Pauls Cathedrall bring for..those winged Angels round about the Quire? 1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler I. xxxvi. 317 The tabernacle in which the Host is kept, is supported by four brass angels, of the size of a man. 1877 3 Nov. 571/3 The heads of the countesses lie on cushions which have angels at the corners. 2018 (Nexis) 11 Dec. 18 An 8ft Christmas tree, with an angel on the top. the world > the supernatural > deity > a devil > [noun] the world > the supernatural > deity > angel > [noun] > fallen angel OE (Corpus Cambr.) xxv. 41 Gewitað awyrgyde fram me on þæt ece fyr þe ys deofle & hys englum gegearwud [L. diabolo et angelis eius]. OE Confessionale Pseudo-Egberti (Tiber.) in (1889) 12 516 Drihten gescilde þe wið ealle deofles costnunga & wið þæne wiðerwearðan engel Satan þæne derigendan & þæne lærendan ælces yfeles. a1450 (c1400–25) H. Legat Serm. Passion in D. M. Grisdale (1939) 18 (MED) Go ȝe..in-to euerlasting fyr of helle, þat is ordeynid to þe deuil & to al is angelus. c1540 (?a1400) (2002) f. 68 Þere onswaret opunly the aungell of helle. 1737 D. Bellamy i. ii. 4 Those apostate Spirits, or Angels of the Devil, who are for ever artfully contriving how to tempt Mankind. 1844 May 158/2 They [sc. religious novels] carry religion into hell, so shaped and phased as to please the devil and his angels. 1902 13 Mar. 341/1 With the disappearance from the minds of the cultivated of the belief in Satan and his angels, a great part of the narrative of the New Testament has been left hanging in the air. 2018 (Nexis) 1 Dec. (Mag.) Original Gustav Dore prints from Paradise Lost, which show Lucifer and the angels falling from heaven, line the hallway walls. the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > [noun] > one who looks after > protector or patron > divinity, angel, or saint 1340 (1866) 21 Efterward..to þine guode lokere, þin angle, þet alneway þe lokeþ. 1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten xxv. f. 68 My good angell (I beleue) wylled me to tary. 1632 H. Hawkins i. xii. 146 The vertuous Prince..recommended his soule to the custody and tuiton of his Angel. 1666 G. Alsop 117 My better Angel urged me to deliver up my aggrievances to the Bench of Gods Mercy. 1879 Ld. Tennyson (new ed.) 29 I to her became Her guardian and her angel. c1984 T. R. Cleary v. 189 This version casts George II as the great disappointment of the age, and Walpole as his bad angel. 2019 (Nexis) 10 Jan. I am old-fashioned enough..to believe the privilege of public office obligates one to speak to our better angels, not our worst. the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > [noun] > spirit of deceased person 1787 E. Helme I. 80 The daughter of my friend, the living image of her angel mother. 1809 M. Edgeworth Ennui iii in I. 153 Come down, before you are out of your teens, or you may chance to be left there till you are an angel or an old maid. 1942 2 July 4/6 I know he's an angel looking down on the place Where he took such pride! 2018 (Nexis) 28 Dec. a1 In a Facebook post..her mother wrote that her ‘baby girl gained her wings and is now an angel’. II. A person (or occasionally an animal or thing) likened to an angel in behaviour, nature, appearance, etc. 5. A person considered as a messenger, representative, or intercessor acting between God and humankind. society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > preacher > [noun] OE (Northumbrian) (headings to readings) i Iohannis angelus id est nuntius appellatur : engel þæt is erenwreca bið genemned. OE 104 Eala earendel, engla beorhtast, ofer middangeard monnum sended..! Swa þu..swegles in wuldre butan anginne æfre wære. c1175 (Burchfield transcript) l. 13877 Forr whase brinngeþþ word tatt mann. Iss enngell inn hiss wikenn. & ta þatt brinngenn word off crist Þa sinndenn cristess enngless. c1384 (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Gal. iv. 14 Ȝe resceyueden me as an aungel [L. angelum] of God. c1475 (?c1400) (1842) 31 Þe prest..is þe aungel of þe Lord of hostis. 1660 4 He tells the silly people, he is Gods Angel, and Embassadour, and shews them Scripture for it. 1718 T. Bennet vii. 65 Our Savior..consider'd only as God's Angel or Messenger to Mankind. 1879 F. W. Farrar I. ii. viii. 148 The last utterance of the Angel Malachi. society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > pastor > [noun] c1384 (Royal) (1850) Apoc. ii. 8 To the aungel [L. angelo] of the chirche of Smyrma, wrijte thou. 1592 in tr. F. Du Jon ii. 8 This Antipas was the Angell or minister of the Church of Pergamus. 1644 E. Arnold tr. D. Pareus 22 The Angel or pastor of this place [sc. Laodicea], was an hypocrite. 1771 May 232/1 When John his sacred embassy was taught, Which to the angels of the church he wrote, [etc.]. 1995 64 195 Alexander Minorita had interpreted the angel of the Church of Ephesus..as St. Timothy. 1613 H. Ainsworth 17 Ther was also in other cases Sheliach tsibbur, the Messenger or Angel of the Church or Congregation, in the synagogues. 1724 T. Lewis II. iii. xxi. 430 The Angel of the Church..was the prime Minister to offer up the Prayers of the People to God. Then were the..inferior Ministers of the Synagogue, called Overseers. 1836 W. Carpenter iii. iv. 315/1 The service of the synagogue was as follows: The people being seated, the minister, or angel of the church, ascended the pulpit and offered up the public prayers [etc.]. 1922 E. W. Bullinger 1442 This delivery [of the second lesson] was made by the cḥasan = overseer, or Shelῑacḥ tzibbor, angel of the congregation. 2011 M. J. Miller tr. J. M. Callewaert ii. 30 At the call of the ‘angel of the synagogue’,..all rise and at the end of the first two prayers respond ‘Amen’. 1833 E. Irving Let. Apr. in H. Drummond (1834) 11 He read the first chapter of Jeremiah, and..was made in the Spirit to speak much upon it..and in the midst of it he brought a message, or rather delivered a command, to the apostle to ordain me Angel over the church on the morrow evening. 1897 H. D. Traill VI. 149 The chair of the angel, or bishop, occupied by Lord Sidmouth, stood on the north side of the chancel. 2008 H. de Roest in G. Mannion & L. S. Mudge xiv. 257 The last angel of the German [Catholic Apostolic] community of Siegen passed away in 1960, the last priest died in 1971. 6. A person considered as a model of virtue, beauty, ability, etc. society > morality > virtue > [noun] > virtuous or morally excellent person 1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre (1913) 192 Hit is moche better that thou deye an angel in thy yongth, thenne a deuill in thy olde aage. 1582 G. Whetstone sig. Cj Lucia Bella, for fairenesse & sweete behauiour an Angel. 1644 S. Rutherford xxv. 221 He is a base flatterer, who saith,..the King is an Angel, and cannot sinne. 1783 tr. J. J. Rousseau II. vi. 134 Whilst it went on well,..I was an angel; I was a devil when things went cross. 1876 31 Mar. 195/2 The boys of Japan are wonderful for politeness and good breeding. They are angels. 2006 12 May 27/6 A brat bully's mother and father think their child is a little angel. the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [noun] > beautiful thing or person > beautiful person 1502 (new ed.) sig. lij/1 In beaute he was an angell [1485 as an angell]. c1525 J. Rastell sig. Ci An angell thou woldist iudge him I make auow The gentyll narciso was neuer so fayre. 1689 J. Carlile iii. ii. 35 Cruel Devotress, will you rob the World of the but one sweet Angel they have left, to add to those vast Millions are above? 1773 H. Mackenzie I. xxii. 237 Having now got sight of her face, he exclaimed, with an oath, that she was an angel. 1896 E. Turner iv. 40 An angel in little blue knickerbockers. 2018 (National ed.) (Nexis) 20 Sept. 18 Flaxen-haired angel in black on the Waterloo slow train on Monday. Your eyes pierced my soul. the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > high intelligence, genius > [noun] > person of superior intellect, genius 1655 T. Stanley I. iii. 30 Looked upon as Angels for wit and Eloquence. 1886 18 Sept. 184/2 She's an angel at tennis. 1949 J. Hillaby vii. 90 His technique of playing a fish gave me a gripping pain, but with the gaff he was an angel. 1993 E. A. Proulx (1999) xiii. 121 Tiresome woman, but an absolute angel with the upholsterer's needle. 7. the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [noun] > person 1598 W. Shakespeare iii. ii. 178 O my sweet beoffe, I must still bee good angel to thee, the mony is paid backe againe. View more context for this quotation 1678 J. Tillotson II. 223 To be charitable and helpful and beneficial to others, is to be a good Angel. 1797 Feb. 71/2 You are an angel, born to comfort me. 1838 W. H. Carpenter & T. S. Arthur 102 She was an angel, whose offices of love I never understood until reflection came too late. 1916 T. S. Eliot 11 Jan. (1988) I. 127 Vivien says you have been an angel to her. 1954 I. Murdoch vi. 89 Don't invite your friends in though, there's an angel. 2000 M. Beaumont 116 Susi, be an angel—run along to Mel's office and grab the schedule. society > trade and finance > financial dealings > [noun] > money-dealer > capitalist or financier > other capitalists or financiers 1885 31 May 7/1 Actors and authors tempt their ‘angels’ with new plays which are sure to make all concerned Goulds and Vanderbilts. 1920 P. G. Wodehouse xi. 199 Ike hasn't any of his own money in the thing... The angel is the long fellow you see jumping around. 2004 3 Oct. 92/1 Wolfe could not supervise the art going on in the theater..while also schmoozing angels..and courting foundations. the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun] 1598 R. Tofte i. sig. C8v If he be desirous for to know, The Heauen where my faire Angell doth abide. 1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas x. 122 Why, Melibea, my sweete Lady; my faire Angel; What's the matter, Sweet-heart? 1741 J. Kelly 228 You take my Questions too seriously, my Angel. 1805 E. Clark II. 146 During this interval Lord Oswell was quite in his penitentials, intreating..his dear angel to return. 2005 E. Barr (2006) xvii. 177 Alice, angel, some lemonade? society > communication > information > message > [noun] > messenger a1637 B. Jonson Sad Shepherd ii. vi. 85 in (1640) III The deare, good Angell of the Spring, The Nightingale. View more context for this quotation 1648 J. Beaumont xiv. cxxi. 260 They shall be The Angels of this news, as well as He. 1793 26 June 281 Summer is come at last, or at least the angel of summer, the martin is come. 1884 May 859/2 The pressure of a very exalted lady seeking in the guise of an angel of peace a voice in the government. 1983 C. Ozick (1984) 22 ‘Her [sc. Edith Wharton's] powers of devastation are ineffable’, he [sc. Henry James] reported, and got into the habit of calling her the Angel of Devastation. 2008 K. Hickman xx. 306 Thank you Staff Sergeant... You're an angel of good news! III. Extended uses. society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > noble or angel 1469 in (1806) 15 167 (MED) The iiiith money of gold called the aungell of gold rennyng the pece for vi s. viii d. of sterlings. c1555 sig. D.iiiiv He..is so careles for his money that out he throweth an hundreth or .ii. of old aungels vpon the bordes ende. 1662 J. Heath 80 One of the Clerks of the Closet..holding..as many Gold Angels every one tied in a Ribbond of white Silk, as there were sick to be touched. a1777 J. White (1791) III. xxxvii. 131 A seasonable bribe of a weighty purse of angels secured their silence. 1866 No. 2009. 567/1 An angel of Henry the Eighth with countermark. 1900 S. J. Weyman (new ed.) iii. 24 For money I had but a gold angel, and a few silver bits of doubtful value. 2002 15 July 8/8 By the time of the Reformation, a single angel would have bought a week's board and lodging at a good inn. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > bait > spinning bait 1867 9 Apr. 4/1 (advt.) A Large Stock of Fishing Tackle, including Fishing Rods,..the London-plated reel lines, and the celebrated ‘angel’ minnow. 1877 27 Oct. 5/1 A heavy jerk on the ‘angel’..announced a fish. 1938 K. Dawson v. 72 The man who invented the devon, or as it was originally called..the angel, minnow, conferred an immense benefit on angling humanity. the world > animals > reptiles > order Chelonia (turtles and tortoises) > [noun] 1880 15 Aug. 343/1 The negroes have a habit of making up quantities of so-called dry turtle from dead turtle (angels). 1891 91/1 The natives have a trick of drying the flesh of dead turtles, nicknamed ‘angels’. 1908 6 Nov. 7/3 A blazing sun will kill them [sc. turtles], and so will a frost, and when they experience both on the voyage most of them arrive in the shape of ‘angels’. 1910 7 Dec. 1552/3 To make an angel, as every one knows, one must first lie down carefully on a fresh bed of snow, place the arms high above the head, sweep them slowly around to the sides; then, when one rises, behold the angel! 2018 (Nexis) 3 Feb. They shaped the fluffy stuff into snowballs, snowmen and other icy creations and made angels in the snow. the world > space > relative position > high position > [noun] > height above the ground or sea level > of an aircraft society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > navigation of course of aircraft > [noun] > height 1943 J. L. Hunt & A. G. Pringle 11 ‘20 M.E.s at Angels one owe’ means ‘20 Messerschmitts at 10,000 ft.’ 1943 P. Brennan et al. iii. 71 We climbed into sun, Woody advising us to get as much angels as possible. 2011 T. Renk iii. 166 In less than 15 minutes they were at Angels 40 above sea level and cruising at a speed of 450 kts. society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > radio equipment > [noun] > radar apparatus > marks or signals on radar screen 1947 W. B. Gould in 35 1105/1 Radar equipment..has given fairly consistent unexplainable echoes at altitudes between approximately 300 and 3000 yards. For want of a better term, these echoes have been dubbed ‘Angels’ by Signal Corps personnel. 1958 B. 149 506 With the approach of a belt of rain, the angel echoes appear to die away in front of it. 2003 G. P. Kulemin v. 251 The number of angel-echoes increases with increasing radar energy where angels with smaller RCS [= radar cross-section] will be observed. society > authority > lack of subjection > unruliness > disorder or riot > [noun] > action or behaviour of gangs of hooligans > member of gang of hooligans 1965 10 Dec. 125/3 An Angel was led away, his head matted with blood. 2007 14 Aug. (Extra section) 5/1 He..was once a ‘prospect’ for a different biker gang and got to know several Angels as a result. Phrases P1. In similes and comparisons, as a model of goodness, virtue, beauty, ability, etc. Cf. sense 6. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) viii. l. 1671 (MED) Sche harpeth many a lay And lich an Angel sang withal. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 197 As an Aungel heuenysshly she soong. 1600 W. Shakespeare v. i. 61 There's not the smallest orbe which thou beholdst but in his motion like an Angell sings, still quiring to the young eyde Cherubins. View more context for this quotation 1726 D. Defoe vii. 310 She talk'd like an Angel, sung like a Syren. 1880 23 May He..plays the fiddle and other instruments ‘like an angel’. 1934 P. Hemingway Let. 17 May in G. Murphy et al. (1991) 85 It seems he can cook like an angel. 2016 (Nexis) 6 May 10 Lucy Green is the perfect Dorothy—kind and pure of heart, who happens to dance like an angel. c1450 (Sloane 2464) l. 2306 He is..Chaast as an Aungel,..Meeke as a pecook. ?1656 R. Flecknoe lxii. 165 Being fair as an Angel. 1785 I. xii. 45 Madame de V—— is beautiful as an angel. 1847 Let. 7 May in (1849) 10 149 I am always as happy as an angel, as content as a king. 2006 (Nexis) 8 May 17 My mum is the best mum in the world because when I'm hurt she will come running... She is as kind as an angel! P2. angel of death n.the world > the supernatural > deity > angel > [noun] > angels with specific tasks 1565 W. Alley ii. iii. f.50 The Aungell of death came to kyll hym. 1610 J. Healey tr. J. L. Vives in tr. St. Augustine xvi. xliii. 618 The Angel of death [L. angelus domini percussor] passed ouer the Israelites houses, & smote them not. 1752 S. Johnson No. 190. ⁋6 The cold hand of the angel of death is now upon him, and the voracious grave is howling for his prey. 1838 10 Mar. The angel of death has been flapping his heavy wings with unusual activity over Sydney during the last fortnight. Sudden deaths have become quite of daily occurrence. 1938 W. E. Railey ii. 32/1 The angel of death smote him in the small hours of the morning and his busy life was ended. 2008 R. Firestone xxvi. 224 In the tradition and folk literatures, this is a period during which the angel of death or his assistants will separate the soul from the body. 1872 12 July A very severe squall passed over the Gulf, and serious apprehensions were then entertained that this had proved an angel of death to the little boat and her pleasure bent crew. 1908 21 Oct. In political circles he was known as the ‘Angel of Death’, as he was invariably employed by the Kaiser to convey to Ministers who had ceased to possess the Royal confidence the notification that their services were no longer necessary. 2015 W. Thompson xiv. 214 The motor vehicle did not require malpractice on the part of manufactures or salespersons..to take on the role of an angel of death. 1638 W. Chillingworth Pref. to Author of Charity Maintained sig. §§§2v As if forsooth, because they dispute not eternally,..Whether a Million of Angels may not sit upon a needles point?..therefore they have no deepe knowledge in the Acroamaticall part of learning! 1727 W. Harris iii. 61 The subtile Schoolmen, when they maintain that a 1000 Angels can dance upon the point of a needle, which some say is a very needless Point. 1883 J. Payn xxxiv. 268 He..was tempted to exchange his system for one more spiritual, such as that which speculates upon how many angels can dance upon a pin's point. 2009 25 May 50/2 These kinds of distinctions among the conservatives are just angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin stuff. 1775 L. Goddard Jrnl. 29 Sept. in E. M. Bell (1930) i. 18 Miss B. proved herself no angel and we returned. 1848 A. Brontë II. xii. 213 I am no angel and my corruption rises against it. 1912 21 July 3/4 I suppose you will admit as a police office that she is a notorious character? —I know she is no angel. 1945 A. Kober 86 I'm no angel. I'm no better and I'm no worse than the average fella. 2018 (Nexis) 8 Nov. (Features section) 11 Darren had been in jail and was no angel. 1801 M. G. Lewis iii. ii. 59 I ne'er saw But one have eyes like thine, an earthly angel, And with the angels now! 1867 L. M. Child xxiv. 286 Then came two little ones, who soon went to live with the angels. 1918 G. M. White xi. 103 He's with the angels, your grandpap is! 1963 S. L. Elliott iii. 269 ‘What have you told the boy about his mother?’ ‘Well—’ Lila seemed flustered. ‘That she's with the angels.’ 2015 J. Keane 51 ‘Mum's with the angels, Henry’, she said gently but firmly. 1847 D. M. Mulock in June 688/1 Philip Armytage had, in truth, ‘an angel in the house’. 1880 8 May 4/6 Woman's true sphere is not..in the polling booth. It is rather [as]..the ‘angel in the house’ that she should seek to distinguish herself. 1931 V. Woolf Speech to Soc. for Women's Service in (2009) V. 638 The Angel in the House..excelled in the difficult arts of family life. She soothed, conciliated, sacrificed herself.., and in short was so constituted that she never had a wish or mind of her own. 1975 F. King iii. 46 The specter of unflagging virtue has haunted all women since time immemorial; the angel in the house simply will not leave. 2007 30 Sept. 13/4 Whether scripted as ‘angels in the house’ or slandered as whores for the sexual freedom that enhances a man's prowess, women continue to struggle against the restrictions of patriarchy. P7. the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > bread with spread or filling > [noun] > canape 1870 tr. U. Dubois 115 (heading) Angels on horseback. 1874 2 May 385/2 I like cold game and angels on horseback for breakfast. 1985 Dec. 30/1 A curried oyster soup garnished with angels on horseback. 2008 J. Fellowes viii. 183 Lady Claremont..had provided mini-savouries in the form of angels on horseback. Compounds C1. OE Cynewulf 732 Þu sylf sitest, sigora waldend, ofer þam æðelestan engelcynne. 1586 in W. A. Craigie (1920) 155 Hir angell Voice. 1611 T. Heywood i. sig. C3v Hee's so full of Angell grace I cannot strike. 1645 J. Milton At Solemn Musick in 22 The bright Seraphim..Their loud up-lifted Angel trumpets blow. 1738 J. Wesley (new ed.) v Shout the Angel-Quires aloud. 1809 Mar. 245 Sweet as the notes that soothe the dying pillow, When angel-music calls the saint to heaven. 1833 W. G. Simms 59 How could he check the angel grace, That gave such beauty to her face. 1925 Dec. 76/1 A landscape of snow-covered hills.., above which, floating in the clouds, is an angel choir. 2011 (Nexis) 13 May g5 You can have this crappy song, and he'll make it sound like angel music. 1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger I. iv. ix. sig. Lll.viii/2 August[ine]..reckoneth worshippers of angels among heretiques, naming them Angelici, angel-worshippers. 1615 N. Byfield 76 If the Papists will persist in Angell-worship, they must beare it to be accounted better Philosophers then Diuines. 1719 J. Bingham V. xiii. iii. 89 No better Admonition..can be given to the Angel-Worshippers of the Present Age, than to advise them to imitate the Angelical Practice of the Primitive Church. 1852 J. Cumming 22 He..has left in his exactions upon me not a cranny or a place in my heart for angel-love or angel veneration. 1920 June 776/2 Angel worship..tended to remove everything that might shake confidence in the holiness of angels. 2003 Feb. (Geographica, Iraq section) It is a shrine of the Yazidis, a sect that practices angel worship. 1593 R. S. 35 Thus attirde, this Angell woman goes. 1617 J. Vicars tr. F. Herring 35 Gods sacred Angell Messenger of grace, To his perplexed thoughts this cure applied. 1733 E. Sterne ix. 115 Whether [the Souls]..have the Knowledge of our Prayers from others, and whether our Angel-Guardians inform them. 1830 T. Hamilton (1845) 121 You may yet see and embrace your angel-mother. 1863 J. C. Jeaffreson xiii. 235 Bernard thought of an angel-woman..his boyhood's love. 2004 B. Kreitzer i. 28 The gospel narrative itself revolves around the visit of an angel messenger to Mary. 1606 I. H. sig. C4v Britons Angel-garded gates, had opened to their hand. 1767 J. Collyer tr. J. J. Bodmer I. i. 21 In the lowest part of the angel-guarded mount..he has seen a long succession of years. 1871 C. B. Pearson 29 Angel-warned, no word they bring Back to Herod. 1905 15 July 19/3 The Angel-heralded infant in the manger of Bethlehem. 2005 (Nexis) 10 Aug. 9 Tiepolo's ‘Madonna of the Girdle and Saints’, showing the Virgin on an angel-borne cloud. 1593 A. Chute 18 I was woman like, though Angell fayre. 1787 J. Nott tr. Hafiz 129 Tho' that face be angel fair, One fault does all its beauty marr. 1903 J. H. McCarthy (title page) Your yellow hair is angel-bright, Your eyes are angel-blue. 1920 6 Nov. 76/1 There's nothing more pure in heaven..Than the heart of a little child. So sweet it is, so simple, And yet so angel-wise. 2005 D. A. Blades 72 Some say she was angel fair. C2. 1994 S. D. Wittwer ix. 93 Angel Babies. To lose a baby is surely one of the cruelest events in nature. 1997 Second Loss at 11-12 Weeks in soc.support.pregnancy.loss (Usenet newsgroups) 1 Mar. Mom to angel babies mc [= miscarried] 9/96 and 3/96. 2013 www.netmums.com 16 Jan. (forum post, accessed 30 June 2017) I have 6 children and an angel baby. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > other card games > [noun] > beast 1668 C. Sedley iv. i Offering to play at Angel-beast with them, tho' he scarce know the cards. 1865 2 201 There was no skill in Angel-Beast. It was what is called a round game, and the issue depended mainly on luck. 1951 J. Lane ii. 35 When the cloth was removed, they played angel-beast. 1699 A. Boyer at Bed An Angel-Bed, un Lit d'Ange. 1776 T. Harmer tr. J.-B. Le Mascrier in (ed. 2) I. 150 An angel-bed..of crimson velvet was in the middle of one of the apartments. 1993 Aug. 518/1 Examination..shows two holes..for foot posts of a four-poster bed. This undermines the claim that it was originally an ‘angel’ bed. society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > other elements > [noun] > cornice > types of 1815 J. Smith I. 158 Another peculiar ornament of this style [sc. the Perpendicular], is the angel cornice, used at Windsor and Henry the VII.'s chapel. 1922 S. Gardner 196 Angel cornices were one of the distinguishing features of rich work of the period [sc. c1500]. 1998 21 198 The angel cornice of Louis Sullivan's Bayard building in New York. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > Veronica or speedwell 1862 1 158 The white starry blossoms of the stitchwort spangle the bank, and among them the laughing blue eyes of the germander speedwell—‘angels' eyes’, as our country lads poetically call them—peep out by hundreds. 1945 F. Thompson xxx. 404 The roadside banks were covered with the tiny spring flowers she loved, stitchwort and celandine and whole sheets of speedwell, which Laura knew as angel's eyes. 2018 R. Orlando ii. v. 142 V[eronica] chamaedrys, germander speedwell, also known as..eye of Christ, angel eyes, and cat's eyes, references to the white spot in the middle of the flowers. 1650 H. Vaughan 34 Happy those early dayes! when I Shin'd in my Angell-infancy. 1900 Sept. 49 ‘No mortal work,’ says Mr. Lang, ‘brings us so near to our angel infancy, and so close to the gates of the Lost Paradise of innocence.’ 1989 A. Waldman 75 Gold hair'd angel infancy demanding summer's honey breath. 1958 13 Dec. 2 (headline) Wealthy Texan enters showbusiness as angel investor. 1999 19 Sept. iii. 13/5 The science board has found a so-called angel investor, a local set-top box maker, interested in investing in Pixelmetrix. 2015 Fall 38/3 Funding from angel investors and government programs was enough for them to launch an initial pilot project. society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > stringed instruments > guitar or lute type > [noun] > guitar > other guitars a1708 J. Talbot in (1961) 14 58 The Angel Lute is of the Pear-mould and fashioned like other Lutes from which it differs in the long head which is made twisting to carry the upper-most rank on its Nutt. 1992 9/1 Angelica (or angel lute), a kind of lute of the period c.1650–1750, unique in having all the strings tuned to a diatonic scale, for playing mostly on the full, resonant sound of open strings. society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > noble or angel a1665 T. Simon in (1780) App. 89 The twenty, the ten, and the five shilling pieces, and the angel piece. 1703 W. Freke lix. 467 King's Evil, Angel Piece of Gold given. 1840 G. L. Craik et al. III. 902/2 Another chaplain..having angel-pieces of gold strung on white ribbons on his arm, delivered them one by one to his majesty, who put them upon the necks of the touched as they passed before him. 2001 (Nexis) 20 May The ‘angel’ piece is believed to have dropped from a sailor's purse when the ship went down off Portsmouth in 1545. 1714 A. Pope (new ed.) i. 3 Virgins visited by Angel-Pow'rs. 1894 4 448 They must have formerly served similar angel powers, such as Lunus, which was worshipped at Antioch. 1991 P. T. O'Brien iv. 244 Whenever the full lordship of Christ is asserted in the NT and other early Christian literature, his victory over angel powers is included. society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [noun] > gold > standard of 1607 T. Dekker sig. K2 Head all the speares With gold of Angell-proofe. 1607 R. Niccols 15 Such angell-seeming creatures With vlcerous minds deform'd such heauenly features. 1748 J. Thomson xlv. 16 These same guileful angel-seeming sprights. 1910 E. Dargan 9 No boyhood's angel-seeming choir For one who fronted Fates. 1969 A. Eastman in S. Dunning 119 The lowly become God, the condemned becomes the Redeemer, the soft angel-seeming creatures ashamed of their God themselves now, everlastingly, satisfyingly, the objects of his shame. 1970 14 Mar. 34/2 The evaporation each year of the maturing brandy (the ‘Angels' Share’, as it is known) equals 1,200,000 bottles. 1987 ‘N. Webster’ v. 105 The Scottish trade reckon up to twenty million gallons a year just vanish. That's the Angels' Share. 1995 (Nexis) 29 Oct. (Travel section) 1 The cedar-lined entry area, fragrant with escaped wine vapors called ‘the angels' share’, leads directly to the tasting bar. 2017 J. Markert iv. 41 The abandoned ricks and empty barrels were covered with mold. The faint smell of the angels' share still lingered. the world > animals > fish > subclass Elasmobranchii > order Pleurotremata > [noun] > angel-fish or monk-fish 1776 T. Pennant (ed. 4, octavo) III. Pl. XII Angel Shark. 1883 (ed. 4) 108 Monk Fish or Angel Shark, caught at Lynn, Norfolk. 1985 K. Banister & A. Campbell 136/2 The angelsharks are unusual, being very flat, and are considered to be more closely related to the skates and rays than to the more ‘typical’ sharks. 2009 (Nexis) 27 May San Francisco's Aquarium of the Bay celebrated the rare births of four Pacific angel sharks today. the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > other 1910 14 14 Choice Coral, 400—500 francs per kilogramme, including rose coral and peau d'ange (angel's skin), off Sicily and Straits of Messina. 1931 24 Sept. 9/4 An evening dress in chalk angel-skin was made with the new revers at the back of the pointed bodice. 1970 E. Berckman ix. 108 She was dazzling in a long pale-blue angelskin, the most beautiful of all the silks. 1988 8 Sept. 146/2 (advt.) Fine gold necklace with detachable pendant, set with angel skin coral and pearls. 2002 14 Nov. s13 He explains that coral appears in nature in colors of orange, red, which is desirable for winter, and even a very pale pink—known as angel skin—that is most expensive. 2003 (Nexis) 6 May 5 She carried an artificial calla lily with fresh tekki fern tied with a bow of angel skin which complemented the outfit. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > covering spec parts of body > arm > types of 1859 E. Potter vii. 287 White point lace with buff crape pleatings formed the trimming for the drooping angel sleeves which were gracefully confined at the shoulder by a silk cord and tassel. 1888 8 Jan. 11/6 Angel sleeves of immense size, made of velvet or plush silk, lined and opening broadly from the shoulders over a second pair of close sleeves. 2010 (Nexis) 13 Sept. a16 Autumn flowers feature on a stunning silk satin dress with delicate angel sleeves. 1955 6 Jan. 5 (advt.) Angel Top with push-up sleeves. 1962 15 Oct. 6/2 ‘Angel tops’..are a knock-out in white broderie anglaise and extremely pretty in jersey wool. These are pyramid shaped tops for girls, high at the neck, long-sleeved, and standing out very full over be-frilled tights or trews. 2010 (Nexis) 28 Sept. 8 She made angel tops and pinafores edged with binding. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Solanaceae (nightshade and allies) > [noun] > thorn-apple or brugmansia the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Solanaceae (nightshade and allies) > [noun] > thorn-apple or brugmansia > flowers of 1866 29 Sept. 928/1 Tier after tier of pure white, long, bell-shaped flowers,..are suspended. ‘Angel's trumpets’ is the only name we have heard for them that seems at all worthy of their character. 1874 J. Lindley & T. Moore (rev. ed.) Suppl. 1262/1 Angel's trumpets. A popular name for the flowers of Brugmansia suaveolens. 1987 12 June 3/7 Police may seek to have the plant datura, or angel's trumpet, prohibited after the drugging of six young people on the Sunshine Coast. 2000 Summer 22/1 (caption) If you're looking for a plant with panache, try an exotic brugmansia. Sometimes referred to as angels' trumpet, moon flower or datura, this tropical tree with huge yellow, orange, white or purple trumpet-shaped blossoms can reach up to six feet (2m) high and two feet (60 cm) wide. 1700 N. Tate i. 15 The Hermit..With Angel-Visits only entertain'd. 1799 T. Campbell ii. 65 Though my winged hours of bliss have been, like angel visits, few and far between. 1830 19 Feb. If Mr. Dawson and others who think with him, were resident in Ireland, they would know more of its actual condition than they do; for it is not an angel-visit to a country that will enable a man to pronounce on its situation. 1944 31 Oct. 2/3 Some of our representatives we do not see more than once in 12 months; and some of the ‘angel visits’ are even fewer and father between. 2002 L. Meinders 2 His unexpected hug was like a little angel visit to me. Derivatives 1608 R. Tofte tr. L. Ariosto vi. 83 Those which first did holy verse deuise, Whose sacred tunes perswaded Angell wise, Men for to liue with men. 1869 H. King 80 The violets arise, With their meek and fragrant eyes Looking at me angel-wise. 1948 Oct. 341/1 Angel-wise above The liberal conscience cried ‘love, love’ And turned its eye away. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online June 2022). angelv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: angel n. Etymology: < angel n. (compare senses 7b and 14 at that entry). society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [verb (transitive)] > provide with capital 1904 May 176/1 It was cheaper than a racing stable or ‘angeling’ a comic opera. 1929 M. Lief 235 He's trying to get me to angel one of his plays. 1949 16 May 60/2 Last week..Aunt Anita agreed to angel a new Manhattan morning tabloid. 2011 (Nexis) 25 Mar. Those lucky enough to have ‘angeled’ a Lloyd Webber musical will have done very nicely indeed. society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > specific flying operations or procedures > [verb (intransitive)] > ascend or gain height 1941 Feb. 54 A fighter pilot is told to ‘scramble’, instead of take off; then he ‘angels upward’. 1941 24 Mar. 83/1 Flying Officer Albert Gerald Lewis..‘angels’ up in his Hurricane fighter to battle another German bomber. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2019; most recently modified version published online December 2021). <  n.OE v.1904 |
