Angelic

How to spell angelic

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce angelic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does angelic mean?

1. adjectiveResembling or characteristic of an angel, especially in being beautiful, pure, or wonderfully good.

Angelic in a sentence

• The toddler wore an angelic expression while quietly hiding the broken vase.

• The choir produced an angelic sound that filled the cathedral.

Where does angelic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word traces back to the Greek angelos, which simply meant 'messenger' and was used for any envoy or bearer of news. In the Greek of the Bible it was applied to the divine messengers of God, and from there it passed into Latin as angelus and then into Old English and Old French as the noun 'angel'. The adjective form angelic grew up alongside it, reaching English through the Latin angelicus and Old French angelique in the late medieval period, meaning 'of or like an angel'. Over time it broadened from a strictly religious sense to describe anything sweet, pure, or innocent in appearance or behaviour. The spelling keeps the soft 'g' inherited from the noun 'angel', which is why the trap is remembering it is 'gel' and not 'jel'.

How the word is built

• angel- (from Greek angelos: messenger)
• -ic (adjective suffix: pertaining to)