messiah

mes·si·ah

noun \mə-ˈsī-ə\

Definition of MESSIAH

1

capitalized

a : the expected king and deliverer of the Jews

b : jesus 1

2

: a professed or accepted leader of some hope or cause

— mes·si·ah·ship \-ˌship\ noun

Examples of MESSIAH

1. They thought the new principal was the messiah the school had been hoping for.

Origin of MESSIAH

Hebrew māshīaḥ & Aramaic mĕshīḥā, literally, anointed

First Known Use: 1560

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

Rhymes with MESSIAH

Aglaia, papaya, pariah, Thalia

messiah

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In Judaism, the expected king of the line of David who will deliver the Jews from foreign bondage and restore Israel's golden age. The term used for the messiah in the Greek New Testament, christos, was applied to Jesus, who is accepted by Christians as the promised redeemer. Messiah figures also appear in various other religions and cultures; Shiite Muslims, for example, look for a restorer of the faith known as the mahdi, and Maitreya is a redeeming figure in Buddhism.