Angela

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A female given name of Greek origin meaning "messenger" or "angel," commonly used as a personal name across various cultures
2. A personal name derived from the Greek term for an angelic or divine messenger, frequently employed as a first name for women
3. A widely recognized female name rooted in ancient Greek, signifying a heavenly messenger or spiritual being, used to identify individuals in many countries

Etymology: Angela is a proper name, and its story begins with a messenger. The Ancient Greek "ángelos" meant simply "messenger," and early Christian writers in Latin adopted it as "Angelus" for the heavenly beings who carry God's word. The feminine form "Angela" grew out of that Church Latin usage, so the name literally means something like "(female) messenger of God." The name is therefore a feminine formation on a title rather than a word for a person's ordinary role. Its root is the same as that of the English "angel," which passed into Old English from Latin, so the name and the common noun share a single ancestry. Used as a given name for women, it carries the religious sense of its origin, even though most people who bear it have no thought of the Greek word behind it.

Synonyms: Angela (proper name)