Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi.
- n. January 6, on which this feast is traditionally observed.
- n. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.
- n. A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
- n. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: "I experienced an epiphany, a spiritual flash that would change the way I viewed myself” ( Frank Maier).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An appearance; manifestation of one's presence: used especially with reference to appearances of a deity.
- n. Among the ancient Greeks, a festival held in commemoration of the appearance of a god in any particular place.
- n. [capitalized] A Christian festival, closing the series of Christmas observances, celebrated on the 6th of January, the twelfth day after Christmas (hence called Twelfth-day), in commemoration of the manifestations of Christ to the world as the Son of God, in the West especially that to the Gentiles through the visit of the Magi in his infancy. It was early instituted in the East in celebration both of his nativity and of his baptism, the former being afterward transferred to the 25th of December. In the West it has been observed since the fourth century with special reference to the visit of the Magi or the three kings, with which are combined in the Roman Catholic Church his baptism and his first miracle at Cana of Galilee.
Wiktionary
- n. A manifestation or appearance of a divine or superhuman being.
- n. An illuminating realization or discovery, often resulting in a personal feeling of elation, awe, or wonder.
- n. Christianity Season or time of the Christian church year from the Epiphany feast day to Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday), the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent (See Epiphany).
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An appearance, or a becoming manifest.
- n. (Eccl.) 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.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a divine manifestation
- n. twelve days after Christmas; celebrates the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus
Etymologies
- From Old French epyphanie, from Late Latin epiphania, from Ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaneia, "manifestation, striking appearance"), from ἐπιφαίνω (epiphainō, "I appear, display"), from ἐπί (epi, "upon") + φαίνω (phainō, "I shine, appear"). English Epiphany (of Christ) since the 14th century, generic use since the 17th century. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English epiphanie, from Old French, from Late Latin epiphania, from Greek epiphaneia, manifestation, from epiphainesthai, to appear : epi-, forth; + phainein, phan-, to show. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The word epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning to manifest or to show.”
“(Meditative states are easier to reproduce; epiphany is spontaneous and unpredictable.)”
“This epiphany is due to creating podcasts for my latest novel, The Vampire Kitty-cat Chronicles.”
“A parallel epiphany is bubbling up in engineering, led by giant firms such as CH2M Hill that have embraced climate adaptation.”
The Huffington Post: Kenny Ausubel: The Revolution Has Begun - "The Shift Hits the Fan"
“In Catholic countries, epiphany is the present - giving time.”
“And I cant shake the feeling that this particular kind of moral-emotional resolution – the gently understated mild epiphany, is a particularly American mode of reassurance.”
Breakthroughs : Ange Mlinko : Harriet the Blog : The Poetry Foundation
“From a cynical point of view, a conveniently-timed epiphany is much more suspicious than a reappraisal shared by millions of other Americans.”
“What is behind Bush's late-term epiphany about the environment?”
“He goes a little bit further than anyone in praising nature, but his language of spiritual uplift and epiphany is extremely conventional Victorian language.”
“The epiphany is the one I've pretty much been denying all along.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘epiphany’.
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LIT - Ulysses - key words and phrases
money cowrie, bedraggle, omphalos, ineluctable, postprandial, bladderwrack, modality barnacle..., loofah, shipworm, cither, embattle, Malachi and 503 more...
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sdamle1
echt
echt, apocalypse, resurgence, forthright, logorrhea, mercurial, torrid, exorcise, obscure, intrusive, morose, vindictive and 100 more...
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Iaan
dirigisme, dystopia, cacotopia, ex ante, veritable, indefatigable, curmudgeon, desultory, antediluvian, transmogrify, pendent, elongate and 269 more...
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MyWordList
for GRE Vocab Building
eccentricity, rife, epiphany, menial, assert, plod, scathing, petty, chum, dilatory, prolific, banal and 10 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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RELI - words with Biblical connotations
Words in the Bible evoking biblical stories or with special spiritual meaning. Proper names have been reduced to the minimum.
ark, judgement, holy, saint, baptism, spirit, love, eternal, altar, balsam, covenant, flood and 1115 more...
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RELI - words you immediately associat...
advent, almighty, altar, anoint, apostle, archangel, ark, Balaam, baptism, baptist, baptize, begotten and 341 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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beautiful words
lovely, reveille, morn, wing, graceful, ocean, petal, lullaby, epiphany, rosary, rose, deflowered and 4 more...
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catalysts
catalysts leading to action.
aka the inciting incident, point of attack there's no major rules here, broad umbrella terms or specific works for now.
( randomness, writing )trauma, death, tragedy, embarrassment, epiphany, move, literature, brink, poll numbers, innovation, injustice, another headspace and 44 more...
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brian's biffs
melancholy, bucolic, visceral, cacophony, burlesque, exogenous, epiphany, monetization, accretive, opulent, splendid, seismic and 10 more...
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Words that make my mouth happy
epiphany, serendipity, beloved, treasure, cherish, precious, angelic, etherial, surreal, charm, mystical, wysteria and 1 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1894 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for epiphany.

Louises I sincerely hoped they wouldn't kill her. Surviving this experience might be just the epiphany to get her out of prostitution. From "The Last Werewolf" by Glen Duncan. Feb 28, 2012
john “Monday was Russian Orthodox Epiphany, and roughly 30,000 Muscovites lined up to dunk themselves in icy rivers and ponds, city officials said. The annual ritual baptism, which is believed to wash away sins, is enjoying a boisterous revival after being banished to villages during the Soviet era.�?
The New York Times, Russians Strengthen Their Faith and a Tradition With an Icy Water Plunge , by Ellen Barry, January 20, 2009 Jan 21, 2009
sanfordc A brilliant theory. Joyce uses the word to link his secular theories of aesthetics to the spiritual significance of the epiphany season. Epiphany: A transcendental force. Oct 27, 2008
misterpolly Effect suffered by protagonists of Joyce's Dubliners. Supposed to help them get over the paralysis inflicted by their dull lives in what Joyce sees as a dull city. Never seems to work. Dec 27, 2007
cosmican A moment of sudden understanding or revelation
Citation: Three days ago, I had an epiphany... Nov 19, 2007
lampbane The Christian celebration in honor of the revelation of Jesus (God in human form) to man. Also commemorates the visit of the Magi, or Three Wise Men. The twelfth day of Christmas (Twelfth Night). Jan 9, 2007
andrew.simone the adjectival form is epiphanic. Dec 7, 2006