Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

epiphany

 - 4 dictionary results

e⋅piph⋅a⋅ny

  [i-pif-uh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies.
1. (initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
2. an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.
Use epiphany in a Sentence
Origin:
1275–1325; ME epiphanie < LL epiphanīa < LGk epipháneia, Gk: apparition, equiv. to epi- epi- + phan- (s. of phaínein to appear) + -eia -y 3

Related forms:
ep⋅i⋅phan⋅ic  [ep-uh-fan-ik] , e⋅piph⋅a⋅nous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To epiphany
e·piph·a·ny   (ĭ-pĭf'ə-nē)   
n.   pl. e·piph·a·nies

  1. Epiphany

    1. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.

    2. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.

    3. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

    4. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).

  2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

    1. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

    2. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself" (Frank Maier).


[Middle English epiphanie, from Old French, from Late Latin epiphania, from Greek epiphaneia, manifestation, from epiphainesthai, to appear : epi-, forth; see epi- + phainein, phan-, to show; see bhā-1 in Indo-European roots.]
ep'i·phan'ic (ěp'ə-fān'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

Epiphany [(i-pif-uh-nee)]

A festival in Christianity celebrating the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means “a showing forth” — in this case a showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

epiphany 
c.1310, "festival of the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles" (celebrated Jan. 6; usually with a capital -E-), from O.Fr. epiphanie, from L.L. epiphania, neut. pl. (taken as fem. sing.), from Gk. epiphaneia "manifestation, striking appearance" (in N.T., advent or manifestation of Christ), from epiphanes "manifest, conspicuous," from epiphainein "to manifest, display," from epi- "on, to" + phainein "to show." Of divine beings other than Christ, first recorded c.1667; general literary sense appeared 1840, first in De Quincey.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see epiphany on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
ExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyThe Daily BeastUrbanspoonAsk AnswersBloglinesSendori