manna

noun

man·​na ˈma-nə How to pronounce manna (audio)
1
a
: food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness
b
: divinely supplied spiritual nourishment
c
: a usually sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain
2
a
: the sweetish dried exudate of a Eurasian ash (especially Fraxinus ornus) that contains mannitol and has been used as a laxative and demulcent
b
: a similar product excreted by a scale insect (Trabutina mannipara) feeding on the tamarisk

Examples of manna in a Sentence

Your generous gift was manna from heaven. the announcement that there would be a sequel was manna to the many fans of the original movie
Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps a day will come when being presented with AI art will be akin to receiving manna from heaven or the golden apples from Gaia’s enchanted tree—gifts of the gods that are free, invaluable, and inexhaustible. Meghan O'Gieblyn, WIRED, 20 Feb. 2024 But make no mistake: This abundance of Sondheim was manna in a lean theatrical year. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2023 Pop stardom combines with sporting glory in a particularly bountiful way: manna from the gods of promotion. Andrew O’Hagan, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 The hedge fund’s manna was slowly being frittered away, a casualty yet again of Dalio’s latest predictions of trouble for the global economy. Rob Copeland, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2023 Along the way, someone tried to feed Moses peanut butter crackers, but Moses did not want a golf tournament’s manna from heaven. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 10 May 2023 The following year, George Lucas’ repurposing of spare sci-fi/war movie parts into the most impactful cosmic saga of the 20th century had become pop culture manna. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2022 The sight of Lopez-Padilla’s silver Jeep pulling up to the Lost City encampment on Thursday felt, to some residents, like a miracle — like manna from heaven. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2023 Though the industry turmoil hurt them all by shaking faith from borrowers and inviting new scrutiny, the panic spread manna among the largest lenders in the United States. Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'manna.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek, from Hebrew mān

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of manna was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near manna

Cite this Entry

“Manna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manna. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

manna

noun
man·​na ˈman-ə How to pronounce manna (audio)
1
: food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness
2
: a usually sudden and unexpected source of pleasure or gain

Medical Definition

manna

noun
man·​na ˈman-ə How to pronounce manna (audio)
1
: the sweetish dried exudate of a European ash (especially Fraxinus ornus) that contains mannitol and has been used as a laxative and demulcent
2
: a product that is similar to manna and is excreted by a scale insect (Trabutina mannipara) feeding on the tamarisk

More from Merriam-Webster on manna

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