epiphany

CEFRC2

/ɪˈpɪfəni/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden moment of clear understanding.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A manifestation or appearance of a divine or superhuman being.

Examples

  • The Epiphany marks the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

  • This is the epiphany I've been waiting for!

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /ɪˈpɪfni/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Epiphany.

  2. An illuminating realization or discovery, often resulting in a personal feeling of elation, awe, or wonder.

More examples

In context
  • It came to her in an epiphany what her life's work was to be.

  • But after spending most of my pocket money to get those developed, I had an epiphany: I was never going to be a professional photographer. My pictures were god-awful. I put the camera away.

  • The ithyphallic bird-man is the climactic, ecstatic, instantaneous male principle confronting the enormous, slow, bovine, and enduring principle of the eternal feminine in her epiphany as the bison.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She had an blank and suddenly understood the complex equation.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English epiphanie, from Old French epyphanie, from Late Latin epiphania, from Ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια (epipháneia, “manifestation, striking appearance”), from ἐπιφαίνω (epiphaínō, “I appear, display”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “I shine, appear”). English Epiphany (of Christ) since the 14th century, generic use since the 17th century.