Cherubic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /t͡ʃɪˈɹuː.bɪk/

Definitions

1. Having a sweet, innocent face similar to that of a young angelic figure
2. Displaying qualities of purity and kindness characteristic of cherubic children
3. Looking like a youthful angel, showing gentleness and an angel-like charm

Etymology: Cherubic is a plain formation: the noun "cherub" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic" attached. The suffix took a long route to English. It descends from a Proto-Indo-European adjective-making ending, passed into Proto-Italic and Latin as "-icus", then through Old French "-ique", and reached English in the form "-ik" during the Middle English period, when it was used to build adjectives from nouns. The noun underneath it, "cherub", is older and far more exotic than the suffix. It is borrowed from Hebrew, where the word referred to a kind of winged celestial being, and it reached English by way of biblical and theological writing. English speakers then turned it into an adjective meaning "like a cherub", applying it to a face or manner that seems angelically innocent. Its literal sense is therefore simply "cherub-like", and the modern meaning, innocence in appearance, is the figurative extension of that image. The Latin-and-French suffix is the least interesting part; the real story lies in the Hebrew noun that the word is built on.

Synonyms: angelic, innocent, sweet, cute

Antonyms: devilish, sinister