From Middle Englishangel, aungel, ængel, engel, from Old Englishanġel, ænġel, enġel, enċġel(“angel, messenger”), from Proto-West Germanic*angil, borrowed from Latinangelus, itself from Ancient Greekἄγγελος(ángelos, “messenger”); and also in part from Anglo-Normanangele, angle, 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 יהוה מַלְאָךְ(malʾāḵ YHWH, “messenger of YHWH”).
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.
Alternative forms
Angel
angell(obsolete)
Noun
angel (pluralangels)
An incorporeal and sometimes divine messenger from a deity, or other divine entity, often depicted in art as a youthful winged figure in flowing robes.
(Abrahamic tradition) One of the lowest order of such beings, below virtues.
A person having the qualities attributed to angels, such as purity or selflessness.
(obsolete) Attendant spirit; genius; demon.
(possibly obsolete) An official (a bishop, or sometimes a minister) who heads a Christian church, especially a Catholic Apostolic Church.
1832, Edward Irving, speech before the Presbytery of London, quoted in 1862, Margaret Oliphant, The Life of Edward Irving, Minister of the National Scotch Church, London: Illustrated by His Journals and Correspondence, page 429
[…] the head of that Church, in whose place I stand in my Church, and in whose place no other standeth (the elders and deacons have their place, but this belongeth to the angel or minister of the Church), and the Lord commendeth him for trying […]
1878, Edward Miller, The History and Doctrines of Irvingism Or of the So-called Catholic and Apostolic Church, § 9 Pastors, page 50 (discussing the structure of the early Christian church and of the Catholic Apostolic Church):
The second or highest grade consists of the Angels or Bishops of Churches. Each Church has its Angel, who has (1) the higher supervision and care of all the flock, (2) the supervision and care of the Priests under him, and (3) the care of the Church itself.
(historical) 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.
Synonym:angel-noble
(military slang, originally Royal Air Force) An altitude, measured in thousands of feet.
Climb to angels sixty. ― ascend to 60,000 feet
(colloquial, dated) An unidentified flying object detected by air traffic control radar.
Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutchangel, from Old Dutch*angul, from Proto-Germanic*angulaz.
Cognate with GermanAngel.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈɑŋəl/
Hyphenation: an‧gel
Rhymes: -ɑŋəl
Noun
angelm (pluralangels, diminutiveangeltjen)
sting, dart (insect's organ)
hook, fish-hook, angle
tang(extension of a tool or weapon's head that is inserted in a handle)
(rare, obsolete) a snake's tongue
Derived terms
gifangel
voetangel
Descendants
Afrikaans: angel
See also
hengel
Anagrams
algen, lagen, lange, nagel
German
Pronunciation
Verb
angel
singular imperative of angeln
Indonesian
Etymology 1
From Javaneseꦲꦔꦺꦭ꧀(angèl).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈaŋɛl]
Hyphenation: angèl
Adjective
angèl
(colloquial)difficult.
Synonyms:sukar, sulit
Etymology 2
From Riau Malay [Term?].
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈaŋel]
Hyphenation: angél
Adjective
angél
lonely
Further reading
“angel” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
From Latinangelus(“angel”), from Ancient Greekἄγγελος(ángelos, “messenger, angel”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈanʒel/
Noun
angelm (pluralangeles)
angel
Idem, f. 4v.
[…] veno el angel del cr̃ador de noch ⁊ dixo alabã. Gvardate de aquel om̃e nol fagas mal.
[…] And the angel of the Creator came to Laban at night and said unto him, “Beware that man and do him no harm.”
Related terms
evangelio
Descendants
Ladino: andjel
Spanish: ángel, ángelo
→ Cebuano: anghél
→ Chibcha: angel
→ Hiligaynon: anghel
→ Inabaknon: anghel
→ Karao: anghil
→ Mezquital Otomi: ě̱nxe̱
→ O'odham: aŋhil
→ Quechua: anqil
→ Tagalog: anghel
→ Tetelcingo Nahuatl: öngel
→ Waray-Waray: anghel
→ Yucatec Maya: ángel
→ Zoogocho Zapotec: angl
Serbo-Croatian
Noun
angelm (Cyrillic spellingангел)
(Kajkavian)angel
Obsolete form of anđel.
Slovene
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /àːnɡɛl/
Noun
ángelm anim
angel
Inflection
Further reading
“angel”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
Swedish
Noun
angelc
a pike hook
Synonym:angelkrok
Declension
Derived terms
angeldon
angelfiske
angelkrok
Related terms
angla
References
angel in Svensk ordbok (SO)
angel in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
angel in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
Welsh
Etymology
From Middle Welshangel, from Proto-Brythonic*angel, a borrowing from Latinangelus, from Ancient Greekἄγγελοςm(ángelos, “messenger; one that announces”). Cognate with Cornishel, Bretonael.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈaŋɛl/
(North Wales, colloquial also) IPA(key): /ˈaŋal/
Noun
angelm (pluralangylionorengyl)
(religion)angel
Derived terms
angyles(“female angel”)
archangel(“archangel”)
Mutation
Further reading
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “angel”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
West Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian*angel, from Proto-Germanic*angulaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European*h₂enk-.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈaŋəl/
Noun
angelc (pluralangels, diminutiveangeltsje)
sting, stinger (insect's organ)
fishing rod
Further reading
“angel (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011