Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used at the end of a prayer or a statement to express assent or approval.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To ratify solemnly; say amen to; approve.
  • To say the last word to; end; finish.
  • Verily; truly: retained in the Bible from the original.
  • It is so; after a prayer or wish, be it so: a concluding formula used as a solemn expression of concurrence in a formal statement or confession of faith, or in a prayer or wish.
  • A mere concluding formula.
  • noun He who is true and faithful: retained in the Bible from the original, as a title of Christ.
  • noun An expression of concurrence or assent; an assertion of belief.
  • noun The concluding word or act; end; conclusion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • interjection An expression used at the end of prayers, and meaning, So be it. At the end of a creed, it is a solemn asseveration of belief. When it introduces a declaration, it is equivalent to truly, verily.
  • interjection to approve warmly; to concur in heartily or emphatically; to ratify; as, I say Amen to all.
  • transitive verb To say Amen to; to sanction fully.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb At the end of Judeo-Christian prayers: so be it.
  • adverb At the end of a creed or in Biblical translations: truly, verily.
  • interjection An expression of strong agreement.
  • noun An instance of saying ‘amen’.
  • noun A title of Christ; the Faithful One (especially with reference to Revelation 3:14)
  • verb To say Amen.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a primeval Egyptian personification of air and breath; worshipped especially at Thebes

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin āmēn, from Greek, from Hebrew ’āmēn, certainly, verily, from ’āman, to be firm; see ℵmn in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amēn), from Classical Hebrew אמן (amén, "certainly, truly") (cognate with Arabic آمين (ʾāmīn), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ ('āmēyn))

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Examples

  • Hell if you go back and look at the comments you will see ALL of what you term his amen corner saying he should write about G Gordon Liddy whom IS an equivalent of Bill Ayers instead of continuing to get on the tireswing and yearn for the McCain of old.

    Ideologues in Extremis - Swampland - TIME.com 2008

  • Then again, he did use the word "mellifluous" just for flare -- maybe saying, "amen" is just some literary device we don't understand yet ...

    More on Sarah Palin, Moose Hunting, and Other Stuff 2008

  • The word amen means truly, certainly, so be it -- from the verb to confirm, to establish, to be true.

    Barnes New Testament Notes 1949

  • This Christian soldier thing has to stop before everyone gets killed in Jesus name amen!

    This is Jesus...We Gotta Talk About This Christian Soldier Thing. 2007

  • This Christian soldier thing has to stop before everyone gets killed in Jesus name amen!

    Message from Jesus: Please- No More Christian Soldiers Marching as to War 2007

  • In consequence of Mrs. Snagsby looking deeply edified, Mr. Snagsby thinks it expedient on the whole to say amen, which is well received.

    Bleak House 2007

  • I call those things that be not as though they are, in Jesus name amen and amen.

    My True Love Is Coming (My Lover Man) angelbaby67 2007

  • It will doubtless be looked upon as heresy for a children's librarian to own that she has a deal of sympathy for the down-trodden adult of the present; that there have been moments when she has even gone so far as to say an "amen" -- under her breath -- to the librarian who, after a day of vexations at the hands of the exasperating young person represented in our current social writings as a much-sinned-against innocent, wrathfully exploded, "Children ought to be put in a barrel and fed through the bung till they are twenty-one years old!"

    Library Work with Children 1917

  • In consequence of Mr.. Snagsby looking deeply edified, Mr. Snagsby thinks it expedient on the whole to say amen, which is well received.

    Bleak House Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 1853

  • In consequence of Mr.. Snagsby looking deeply edified, Mr. Snagsby thinks it expedient on the whole to say amen, which is well received.

    Bleak House Charles Dickens 1841

Comments

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  • See also so mote it be

    February 2, 2008