epiphany

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: E=piph=a=ny

CIDE DICTIONARY

epiphany, n. [F. épiphanie, L. epiphania, Gr. 'epifa`nia (sc. ), for 'epifa`neia appearance, fr. 'epifai`nein to show forth; 'epi` + fai`nein to show. See Fancy.].

•  An appearance, or a becoming manifest.  [1913 Webster]

  "Whom but just before they beheld transfigured and in a glorious epiphany upon the mount."  [1913 Webster]

  "An epic poet, if ever such a difficult birth should make its epiphany in Paris."  [1913 Webster]
•  A church festival celebrated on the 6th of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the visit of the Magi of the East to Bethlehem, to see and worship the child Jesus; or, as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the Magi, symbolizing the manifestation of Christ to the Gentles; Twelfthtide.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

epiphany, n. (pl. -ies)
1 (Epiphany) a the manifestation of Christ to the Magi according to the biblical account. b the festival commemorating this on 6 January.
2 any manifestation of a god or demigod.

Derivative

epiphanic adj.

Etymology

ME f. Gk epiphaneia manifestation f. epiphaino reveal (as EPI-, phaino show): sense 1 through OF epiphanie and eccl.L epiphania

THESAURUS

epiphany

Advent, Allhallowmas, Allhallows, Allhallowtide, Annunciation, Annunciation Day, Ascension Day, Ash Wednesday, Candlemas, Candlemas Day, Carnival, Christmas, Corpus Christi, Easter, Easter Monday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Eastertide, Ember days, Good Friday, Halloween, Hallowmas, Holy Thursday, Holy Week, Lady Day, Lammas, Lammas Day, Lammastide, Lent, Lententide, Mardi Gras, Martinmas, Maundy Thursday, Michaelmas, Michaelmas Day, Michaelmastide, Palm Sunday, Pancake Day, Passion Week, Pentecost, Quadragesima, Quadragesima Sunday, Septuagesima, Shrove Tuesday, Trinity Sunday, Twelfth-day, Twelfth-tide, Whit-Tuesday, White Sunday, Whitmonday, Whitsun, Whitsunday, Whitsuntide, Whitweek

ROGET THESAURUS

epiphany

Rite

N rite, ceremony, ritual, liturgy, ceremonial, ordinance, observance, function, duty, form, formulary, solemnity, sacrament, incantation, service, psalmody, ministration, preaching, preachment, predication, sermon, homily, lecture, discourse, pastoral, baptism, christening, chrism, circumcision, baptismal regeneration, font, confirmation, imposition of hands, laying on of hands, ordination, excommunication, Bar Mitzvah, Bas Mitzvah, Bris, Eucharist, Lord's supper, communion, the sacrament, the holy sacrament, celebration, high celebration, missa cantata, asperges, offertory, introit, consecration, consubstantiation, transubstantiation, real presence, elements, mass, high mass, low mass, dry mass, matrimony, burial, visitation of the sick, seven sacraments, impanation, subpanation, extreme unction, viaticum, invocation of saints, canonization, transfiguration, auricular confession, maceration, flagellation, sackcloth and ashes, penance, telling of beads, processional, thurification, incense, holy water, aspersion, relics, rosary, beads, reliquary, host, cross, rood, crucifix, pax, pyx, agnus Dei, censer, thurible, patera, eileton, Holy Grail, prayer machine, prayer wheel, Sangraal, urceus, ritualism, ceremonialism, sabbatism, sabbatarianism, ritualist, sabbatarian, holyday, feast, fast, Sabbath, Pentecost, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passion week, Holy week, Easter, Easter Sunday, Whitsuntide, agape, Ascension Day, Candlemas, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, Lammas, Martinmas, Michaelmas, All SAint's DAy, All Souls' Day, Ramadan, Ramazan, Bairam Passover, Shabuoth, Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, Rosh Hashana, New Year, Hanukkah, Chanukkah, Feast of Lights, Purim, Feast of lots, ritual, ritualistic, ceremonial, baptismal, eucharistical, paschal, what art thou, thou idol ceremony?.