angel

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A typically benevolent celestial being that acts as an intermediary between heaven and earth, especially in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.
2. n. A representation of such a being, especially in Christianity, conventionally in the image of a human figure with a halo and wings.
3. n. Christianity The last of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology. From the highest to the lowest in rank, the orders are: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities, archangels, and angels.
4. n. A guardian spirit or guiding influence.
5. n. A kind and lovable person.
6. n. One who manifests goodness, purity, and selflessness.
7. n. Informal A financial backer of an enterprise, especially a dramatic production or a political campaign.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In theology, one of an order of spiritual beings, attendants and messengers of God, usually spoken of as employed by him in ordering the affairs of the universe, and particularly of mankind. They are commonly regarded as bodiless intelligences, but in the Bible are frequently represented as appearing to sight in human form, and speaking and acting as men.
2. n. Hence — In a sense restricted by the context, one of the fallen or rebellious spirits, the devil or one of his attendants, said to have been originally among the angels of God.
3. n. An attendant or guardian spirit; a genius.
4. n. A person, especially a woman, having qualities such as are ascribed to angels, as beauty, brightness, innocence, and unusual graciousness of manner or kindliness of heart.
5. n. A human being regarded as a messenger of God; one having a divine commission; hence, in the early Christian church, the pastor or bishop of the church in a particular city; among the Irvingites, a bishop.
6. n. A messenger.
7. n. A conventional figure accepted as a representation of the spiritual beings called angels, having a human form endowed with the highest attributes of beauty, clothed in long flowing robes, and furnished with wings attached behind the shoulders.
8. n. An English gold coin, originally of the value of 6s. 8d. sterling, afterward of 8s. and 10s., first struck by Edward IV. in 1465, last by Charles I. in 1634.
9. n. In modern theat. slang, one who advances money to put a new play on the boards: a financial backer.
10. n. Same as angelfish.

Wiktionary

1. n. A divine and supernatural messenger from a deity, or other divine entity.
2. n. The lowest order of angels, below virtues.
3. n. A selfless person.
4. n. military slang An altitude, measured in thousands of feet.
5. n. An affluent individual who provides capital for a startup, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity.
6. v. transitive, slang To support by donating money.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. rare A messenger.
2. n. A spiritual, celestial being, superior to man in power and intelligence. In the Scriptures the angels appear as God's messengers.
3. n. One of a class of “fallen angels;” an evil spirit.
4. n. Archaic A minister or pastor of a church, as in the Seven Asiatic churches.
5. n. Attendant spirit; genius; demon.
6. n. An appellation given to a person supposed to be of angelic goodness or loveliness; a darling.
7. n. (Numis.) An ancient gold coin of England, bearing the figure of the archangel Michael. It varied in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. spiritual being attendant upon God
2. n. person of exceptional holiness
3. n. the highest waterfall; has more than one leap; flow varies seasonally
4. n. invests in a theatrical production