• enPR: ānʹjəl, IPA: /ˈeɪn.dʒəl/

angel (plural angels)

1. 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.
   • 1641, Ben Jonson, The Sad Shepherd

     The dear good angel of the Spring, / The nightingale.

2. (Abrahamic tradition) One of the lowest order of such beings, below virtues.
3. A person having the qualities attributed to angels, such as purity or selflessness.

   Thanks for making me breakfast in bed, you little angel.

4. (obsolete) Attendant spirit; genius; demon.
5. (possibly, obsolete) An official (a bishop, or sometimes a minister) who heads a Christian church, especially a Catholic Apostolic church.
   • 1817, Thomas Stackhouse, A history of the holy Bible, corrected and improved by G. Gleig, page 504

     An apostle, or angel, or bishop, as he is now called, resided with a college of presbyters about him, in every considerable city of the Roman empire; to that angel or bishop, was committed the pastoral care of all the Christian in the city and its suburbs, exending as far on all sides as the jurisdiction of the civil magistrate extended;

   • 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.

6. (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.

   Synonyms: angel-noble

7. (military slang, originally Royal Air Force) An altitude, measured in thousands of feet.

   Climb to angels sixty. (“ascend to 60,000 feet”)

8. (colloquial, dated) An unidentified flying object detected by air traffic control radar.
9. An affluent individual who provides capital for a startup, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity; an angel investor.
10. (theater) The person who funds a show.

    Synonyms: backer

• (spiritual messenger) errand-ghost qual rare

• evangel (evangelist, evangelize)

• French: ange
• German: Engel
• Italian: angelo
• Portuguese: anjo
• Russian: а́нгел
• Spanish: ángel

• French: ange
• German: Engel
• Portuguese: anjo
• Russian: а́нгел
• Spanish: ángel

• French: ange
• German: Engel
• Portuguese: anjo
• Russian: а́нгел
• Spanish: ángel

angel (angels, present participle angeling; past and past participle angeled)

1. (transitive, theater, slang) To support by donating money.
   • 1944, Maurice Zolotow, Never Whistle in a Dressing Room; Or, Breakfast in Bedlam (page 59)

     Six years ago, he lost $20,000 in the first show he angelled, a turkey called Dance Night.

angel (plural angels)

1. (informal) A person who has Angelman syndrome.

• IPA: /ˈeɪn.dʒəl/

angel (plural angels)

1. Alternative letter-case form of angel.

1. A male given name used since 16th century, from Latin Angelus or an anglicized spelling of Ángel.
   • 1973 Roald Dahl, More Tales of the Unexpected: Mr Botibol:

     "What is your first name, Mr Botibol? What does the A stand for?" "Angel," he answered. "Not Angel." "Yes," he said irritably. "Angel Botibol," she murmured and she began to giggle. But she checked herself and said, "I think it's a most unusual and distinguished name."

2. Surname originating as a nickname or, rarely, as a patronymic.
   • 1892, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Case of Identity”, in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, OCLC 02541507 ↗, page 61 ↗:

     At last, when nothing else would do, he went off to France upon the business of the firm, but we went, mother and I, with Mr. Hardy, who used to be our foreman, and it was there I met Mr. Hosmer Angel.

3. A female given name of modern usage from the English noun angel.
4. (baseball) A player on the team the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim".
   • Smith became an Angel as a result of a pre-season trade.