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messianism

[mes-ee-uh-niz-uhm, muh-sahy-uh-]

noun

(often initial capital letter) the belief in the coming of the Messiah, or a movement based on this belief.

the belief in a leader, cause, or ideology as a savior or deliverer.

Origin:
1875–80; < Late Latin Messīān-, stem of Messīās Messiah + -ism

Related forms

mes·si·a·nist, Mes·si·a·nist, noun

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Messianism is always a great word to know.

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a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

messianic (ˌmɛsɪˈænɪk)

—*adj*
1.	(sometimes capital) Bible
	a. of or relating to the Messiah, his awaited deliverance of the Jews, or the new age of peace expected to follow this
	b. of or relating to Jesus Christ or the salvation believed to have been brought by him
2.	a. of or relating to any popular leader promising deliverance or an ideal era of peace and prosperity
	b. of or relating to promises of this kind or to an ideal era of this kind

messianically

—*adv*

messianism

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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"How might one describe Max Beerbohm to someone who knows nothing about him? Well, for a start, one might imagine D.H. Lawrence. Picture the shagginess of Lawrence, his thick beard, his rough-cut clothes, his disdain for all the social and physical niceties. Recall his passionateness—his passion, so to say, for passion itself—his darkness, his gloom. Think back to his appeal to the primary instincts, his personal messianism, his refusal to deal with anything smaller than capital "D" Destiny. Do not neglect his humorlessness, his distaste for all that otherwise passed for being civilized, his blood theories and manifold roiling hatreds. Have you, then, D.H. Lawrence firmly in mind? Splendid. Now reverse all of Lawrence's qualities and you will have a fair beginning notion of Max Beerbohm, who, after allowing that Lawrence was a man of "unquestionable genius," felt it necessary to add, "he never realized, don't you know—he never suspected that to be stark, staring mad is somewhat of a handicap to a writer.""

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messianism

mes·si·a·nism