manna

noun

man·​na ˈma-nə 

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

Synonyms

• delectation
• delight
• feast
• gas [slang]
• joy
• kick
• pleasure
• treat

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

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 | [e-mail], 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

This plant, a staple crop for Tanzanian smallholder farmers and large-scale growers alike, just so happens to hold a status not far below manna to rodents. —Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2015

Like the unexpected manna from Washington D.C. filling state, county, and city coffers throughout the nation this year and in a few months when the second half of the money is slated to arrive, the funds offer Alabama an unprecedented opportunity to, well, stop being Alabama. —Roy S. Johnson | [e-mail], al, 5 Jan. 2022

To a sharp-eared central banker, that doesn’t sound like an all-clear to let the monetary manna flow freely and give up the campaign against bad debt. —Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 9 Dec. 2021

The unceremonious dumping of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson was joke-writing manna from heaven for late night talk show hosts on Monday night (April 24). —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2023

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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

Phrases Containing manna

• manna grass

• manna grass

Kids Definition

manna

noun

man·​na ˈman-ə 

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 

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