# angel



## ThomasK

How about the word 'angel' in your language (if you - still - have any) ? 

Dutch: *engel*
(Funny thing: a brat, a little bit naughty, is a *'bengel'*)

German: *Engel* (and *Bengel*)

English: *angel* (and _brat, little rascal_ - but no link with angel)

Arabic: *malika*, I believe (and ... ?)

Fench: *ange* (and ... ?)


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## apmoy70

In Greek:
Angel is Άγγελος (*a*ŋgelos, _m._) and in classical Greek meant simply "messenger" (e.g in pre-Christian works, in tragedies for instance, the messenger is «ἄγγελος», "'aŋgelos", _m._). In modern Greek the name άγγελος is used only within religious context (and is an ordinary male Christian name). Messenger in modern Greek is αγγελιοφόρος (aŋgeliof*o*ros, _m._) or αγγελιαφόρος (aŋgeliaf*o*ros, _m._), with the 2nd one being more "archaic". 
From Αγγελία (aŋgel*i*a, _f._, the message, the herald) + φέρω (f*e*ro, "to bear, to carry").
edit: No relation with either _brat_ or _rascal_.


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## rusita preciosa

Russian: *aнгел* (m) /an*g*el/ ("g" as in "god")


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## ThomasK

This is an aspect (semantics) that I had not taken into account: can you use the word 'angel' in its *angelic ;-) meaning* in Greek ?

Or does it only involve bringing messages? Can the messagebearer be very down-to-earth ? Is the postman for isntance an 'angel(ioforos)' in Greek ?  How can a person be such a person ?

One thing, Rusita: any derivations based on 'angel' ? (Not just adj., but nouns, ...)


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> This is an aspect (semantics) that I had not taken into account: can you use the word 'angel' in its *angelic ;-) meaning* in Greek ?
> Or does it only involve bringing messages? Can the messagebearer be very down-to-earth ? Is the postman for isntance an 'angel(ioforos)' in Greek ?  How can a person be such a person ?


The literal name "angel" is used only in religion (or when some guy is named Angel-Άγγελος). Every message-bearer in Greek is an 'angel(ioforos)', a postman is an 'angel(ioforos)' but postman in Greek, literally, is Ταχυδρόμος (taxiðr*o*mos, _m._); from ταχύς (tax*i*s->"swift, quick") + δρόμος (ðr*o*mos, _m._, "road"). 
PS: We Greeks, are accustomed to use favorable words in place of an inauspicious one (the so called "euphemisms"), so, we have replaced angelos or angeliaforos, with taxidromos (swift on the road) for the postman 

[x] is a voiceless velar fricative, known as the hard ch


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## Ghabi

I guess you're wondering whether "angel" is related to "brat". "Brat" in some languages:

-Egyptian Arabic: _3afriit_ عفريت "a kind of jinn, known for their strength (you meet them often enough in _Arabian Nights_)"

-Japanese: _gaki_  餓鬼 "those deceased and doomed to starve in the Buddhist hell"

-Cantonese: _sing1gwan1 _星君  "the Taoist gods who administer the different constellations"


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## ThomasK

And do others bear that name too? Do you also have a short Angelic Service for SMSes (a _konta angelika hyperèsia_ ;-)) ?

_(Are taxis and taxudromoi that quick ? This is a great sidethread, that we cannot pursue here of course: euphemisms for postmen)_


Ghabi said:


> I guess you're wondering whether "angel" is related to "brat". "Brat" in some languages:
> 
> -Egyptian Arabic: _3afriit_ عفريت "a kind of jinn, known for their strength (you meet them often enough in _Arabian Nights_)"
> 
> -Japanese: _gaki_ 餓鬼 "those deceased and doomed to starve in the Buddhist hell"
> 
> -Cantonese: _sing1gwan1 _星君 "the Taoist gods who administer the different constellations"


This is quite interesting!

But
- is a *jinn* not a bad spirit, like some kind of a devil ? Brats are not that bad, I think. (I need to read Arabian nights...) Are they considered counterparts of the angels/ malika ?
- the *gaki* seem like fallen angels rather; can they fly ;-) [that seems like a characteristic feature of traditional angels...]
- *sing1gwan1* : I did not know there were gods in Taoism, but how are they (re)presented?


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## rusita preciosa

ThomasK said:


> One thing, Rusita: any derivations based on 'angel' ? (Not just adj., but nouns, ...)


Off the top of my head, I can't think of many:
*ангелок* /angelok/ - little angel
*ангелочек* /angelotchek/ - little darling angel
*ангельский* /angelskyi/ - anglelic (adj)
*ангелоподобный* /angelopodobnyi/ angel-like (adj.)
*ангельски* /angelski/ - angelically (adv.)
No verb forms come to mind.


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## ThomasK

Well, that is quite a bunch. We do not have a lot of angel-ic stuff, I think: 'engelachtig' (angel-ish), 'engelengeduld' (the patience of angels), oh, and 'guardian angels' of course, but they seem rare nowadays... ;-)


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## Awwal12

ThomasK said:


> One thing, Rusita: any derivations based on 'angel' ? (Not just adj., but nouns, ...)


I'm not Rusita, but will nevertheless give some examples: 
ангельский /*a*ngel'skiy/ ['angʲilʲskʲɪj] - angel (adj., m.)
ангелоподобный /*a*ngelopod*o*bnyi/ ['angʲɪləpɐd'obnəj] - angel-like, looking like an angel (attr., m.)
ангелочек /angel*o*chek/ [əngʲɪl'oʨɪk] (n.) - an affective diminutive form of the word "ангел"; it may be used, for example, when speaking about some cute baby.

P.S.: dammit, I was stripped out.


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## rusita preciosa

ThomasK said:


> Well, that is quite a bunch. We do not have a lot of angel-ic stuff, I think: 'engelachtig' (angel-ish), 'engelengeduld' (the patience of angels), oh, and 'guardian angels' of course, but they seem rare nowadays... ;-)


We have that too:
*ангел хранитель* /angel khranitel/ - guardian angel
*ангельскoe терпение* /angelskoye terpenie/ - angelic patience ("one really needs angelic patience dealing with you!" - favorite of my Grandma talking to her grandchildren )

EDIT: Oh, I forgot that in the Orthodox calendar every day is "assigned" to the celebtration of one or more saints. So, the day of the saint's celebration is called *день ангелa* /den' angela/ - *day of (your) angel* for the people who have the same first name as that saint.


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## Awwal12

Well, I could also remind expressions "ангельский голос" /*a*ngelskiy g*o*los/ (an angelic voice) and "ангельское пение" /*a*ngelskoye p*e*niye/ (an angelic singing). And I'm afraid that's all. )


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## jazyk

In Portuguese:
angel - anjo
angelical - angélico, angelical


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## Ghabi

ThomasK said:


> - is a *jinn* not a bad spirit, like some kind of a devil ? Brats are not that bad, I think. (I need to read Arabian nights...) Are they considered counterparts of the angels/ malika ?
> - the *gaki* seem like fallen angels rather; can they fly ;-) [that seems like a characteristic feature of traditional angels...]
> - *sing1gwan1* : I did not know there were gods in Taoism, but how are they (re)presented?


Let's not go into any technical discussion of religions (Islam, Buddhism, Taoism), suffice it to say that none of these terms mean "angel". 

In Chinese and Japanese, angel is rendered as 天使 ("messager from the heaven"). In classical Chinese, the term means "Imperial messager", but of course this meaning has become obsolete.


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## ThomasK

You're right, and that was not my intention, but your mentioning it made me wonder. Could yoy give me the pronunciation of the Chinese / Japanese word ?


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## Ghabi

Japanese: tenshi; Mandarin: tiānshǐ. By the way, do you mean that _bengel_ is derived from _engel_ in German and Dutch? If so, what's the function of the prefix b-?


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## Awwal12

> You're right, and that was not my intention, but your mentioning it made me wonder. Could yoy give me the pronunciation of the Chinese / Japanese word ?


In Japanese it is /tenshi/ [teɴɕi]; don't know about Chinese, though.
P.S.: I'm too late again. )


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## Angel.Aura

In Italian:

angel - angelo 
angelic(al) - angelico (m.), angelica (f.)
little angel - angioletto


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## ThomasK

Ghabi said:


> Japanese: tenshi; Mandarin: tiānshǐ. By the way, do you mean that _bengel_ is derived from _engel_ in German and Dutch? If so, what's the function of the prefix b-?


 
I'll have to check on that /b/, but I would not be astonished if it had simply been added to the existing 'angel', to make it an antonym. There is also some kind of 'travelling' /b/, perhaps, used to turn _angst_ into _b-ang_, but that /b/ does not cause a change of meaning. Right now I found out the two have nothing to do with one another. The origin is supposed to be a kind of bat, to hit people with !


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## XiaoRoel

En galego:
*anxo* (diminutivo *anxiño*)
*anxélico, anxelical* (adxectivos)


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*: _enkeli_

It's a Germanic loan, but this is probably clear even without saying.


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## ThomasK

Well, yes, I had a hunch indeed...


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## qnk

In Spanish:

angel - ángel, Ángel
angelic(al) - angelical
little angel - angelito, angelico, angelillo, angelote, angelete, and some more (both adjectives and personal names)

Since the beginnings of Christianity in Spain --maybe 1st century-- angels were known through religion. Angels as bearers of news from God. And soon this name was given to children as a token of respect for them (angels) and religiosity. And the name then was in Latin --Angelus-- of course, there was no Spanish at the time. I imagine that was the case in Italy, both territories had then similar political and religious development. A thousand years later the Spanish language was an independent offspring of Latin and Angelus was Ángel (g pronounced today as χ in Greek or ch in German). Nowadays when someone is named or called Ángel we have in mind both meanings: God messenger and a personal name. 
By the way, my name is also Ángel, caro amico italiano.


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## Outsider

jazyk said:


> In Portuguese:
> angel - anjo
> angelical - angélico, angelical


Also _*anjinho*_, little angel. Curiously, although these words can be equally applied to males or females, the feminine versions _anja_ and _anjinha_ don't seem to used ordinarily.

_*Ângelo*_ and _*Ângela*_ are common surnames. These appear to be late loans from Italian, but there is also the family name _*Anjo*_.

In Italian there is the word _*putto*_, used for representations of little angels in baroque art. I don't know if this has any connection with Portuguese and Spanish *puto* (the feminine of _*puta*_, of disputed origin), which in Portugal means "kid" but in Brazil (also in American Spanish) refers to a male homosexual!


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## DenisBiH

In Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin:

*anđeo*, _cyrillic _*анђео* - angel
*anđeoski / анђеоски* - angelical
*anđelčić / анђелчић* - little angel (or literally *mali anđeo / мали анђео*)

In Bosnian (possibly accepted in some other BCMS language as well) also:

*melek / meleć* - angel


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## ThomasK

Is ande- a specific Slavic word, if I may ask ? 

And/Or could _melic_ be linked with Arabic _malika_ ? 

Thanks !


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## DenisBiH

It's simply a rendering of lat. angelus (perhaps via another language). The letter đ above is pronounced similar to g in English angel.

The final -l > -o in the nominative case is a specific trait of BCMS languages. The -l reappears in other cases (nom. anđeo, gen. anđela, dat. anđelu, acc. anđela, voc. anđele, inst. anđelom, loc. anđelu) and as can be seen, in the diminutive.

Both melek and meleć (ć is close to the palatalized t in British English "tune") are indeed from Arabic ملك (málak) via Ottoman Turkish ملک (melek). Arabic / Turkish -k- to Bosnian -ć- is sometimes observed, as in ćitab along with kitab (book), ćafir along with kafir, ćato from ćatib from katib (scribe) etc.​


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## ThomasK

Very, very interesting background, thanks !!!


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## DenisBiH

You're quite welcome. 

I'm trying, so far without success, to remember an originally Slavic BCMS word with a similar meaning to angel. I can come up with several words for incorporeal beings, but no angels so far - duh (spirit, ghost),  sablast (ghost, spook), utvara, prikaza (phantom, apparition), vila (fairy)...


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## Orlin

Bulgarian:
ангел - angel
ангелски - angelical
ангелче - a little angel (dimunitive from "angel")
Ангел is also a not very rare man's name.


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## ThomasK

Just by the way: 'angel' is, I suppose, Christian by origin (before they had not been seen, found, discovered - or they had not yet been created...).


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## DenisBiH

Yes, could be. But, for example, the BCMS word for God is _Bog_ (and I suppose other Slavic languages have a similar word) and is etymologically a Common Slavic word (Old Church Slavonic bogъ) that was reapplied from ancient Slavic deities to the God of monotheism and the Abrahamic faiths. _Bog_ is actually even more interesting as some suppose it was a borrowing into Common Slavic from Iranian languages (_avest._ baga-).

So it shouldn't have been too difficult to extend a meaning for some ancient Slavic supernatural being to mean "angel" (_vila_ "fairy" e.g. seems to be Common Slavic), or possibly create a new word based on the original Greek meaning, but that doesn't seem to have happened (at least I can't find a reference to it)

Here's an interesting article in Croatian with another take on  that particular word: According to them, it was first borrowed from Greek, and is one of the earliest Greek loanwords into (southern) Slavic.

Slobodna Dalmacija

The Croatian Language Portal in the etymology section for that word states that it was borrowed via Latin angelus.


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## Awwal12

> Just by the way: 'angel' is, I suppose, Christian by origin (before they had not been seen, found, discovered - or they had not yet been created...).


The idea is of Judaistic origin, but probably was loaned from Zoroastrianism. The word "angel", however, is purely Christian and is of Greek origin.


> But, for example, the BCMS word for God is Bog (and I suppose other Slavic languages have a similar word)


In Russian it is the same, the only difference is in pronunciation (sing. [b'ox]; plural form is [b'ogʲi], nevertheless; [g] also appears during declension).


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## Trauer

Polish: *anioł*.
Swedish: *ängel*.


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## Equinozio

In Tagalog: anghel (from Spanish). Can't find a native word.


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## Rallino

In Turkish it is: _Melek._


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## ilocas2

Czech: *anděl*
Slovak: *anjel*


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## Rallino

Kazakh: *періште / perishte*


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## ThomasK

So Czech/ Slovak is based on Latin, I guess, but how about the root of the word in Turkish, Rallino? Any idea?


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## Rallino

The Turkish _melek_ comes from Arabic.
Thr Kazakh _perishte_ probably comes from the Farsi word فرشته.


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## bazq

In Hebrew it's מלאך [mal'akh] as in Arabic. 
In Biblical Hebrew it meant "a messenger" - God's messenger for example, or the king's messenger, doesn't matter.
The "god's messenger" meaning became iconic, and the word mal'akh lost the original meaning of any kind of messenger/courier.


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## Sardokan1.0

*Sardinian :*

_Ánghelu _(Gh is pronounced like the G of Game)

As personal name there are two variants :

_Ánghelu/a_ or _Ándzelu/a_


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## desi4life

Hindi: फ़रिश्ता _farishtā _(< Persian), देवदूत _dev-dūt_ (< Sanskrit)

Urdu: فرشته _farishtah_ (< Persian), ملك _malak_ (< Arabic)


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