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manna

noun
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man·​na | \ ˈma-nə How to pronounce manna (audio) \

Definition of manna

1a : 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
2a : 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
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Synonyms for manna

Synonyms

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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 Obviously, endlessly-pined-for new albums from OutKast, Lauryn Hill and Dr. Dre would all be greeted like manna from heaven (and all but guaranteed No. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "Five Burning Questions: Billboard Staffers Discuss Lil Wayne's 'Funeral' Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200," 11 Feb. 2020 For Safe Haven, brother Terry has turned out to be marketing manna from heaven. — Steve Hartman, CBS News, "Man who naps with cats helped raise nearly $100,000 for a pet sanctuary," 22 Nov. 2019 Early models of growth did not explain technological progress at all, treating it rather like manna from heaven. — The Economist, "Economists explore the consequences of steering technological progress," 18 Jan. 2020 Months later, like manna from heaven, a wealthy entrepreneur arrived to save Bloodhound. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "The Bloodhound LSR Is Halfway to Its 1,000-MPH Dream," 8 Nov. 2019 Drag Race is manna from heaven for content creators and for niche fandoms—groups of die-hard fans that veer away from traditional, mainstream entertainment. — Carolina Are, Quartzy, "How “RuPaul’s Drag Race” changed the way we speak," 2 Oct. 2019 The tragic thing is that near all the stripped manna gum trees, there was plenty of another kind of eucalyptus. — BostonGlobe.com, "Scientists look for ways to counter the dietary dilemma of koalas - The Boston Globe," 10 Sep. 2019 Next, the team captured 12 wild koalas from a manna gum forest in Cape Otway. — BostonGlobe.com, "Scientists look for ways to counter the dietary dilemma of koalas - The Boston Globe," 10 Sep. 2019 My vegetarian meal was like some kitchen sorcerer’s handiwork; somewhere in there was a corn flatbread like manna and mushrooms that certainly tasted magical to me. — Los Angeles Times, "On Canada’s Via Rail, a return to the older — and let’s be honest, better — way of traveling," 17 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manna.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of manna

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

History and Etymology for manna

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

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Time Traveler for manna

Time Traveler

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

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Statistics for manna

Last Updated

22 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Manna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manna. Accessed 26 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for manna

manna

noun
How to pronounce manna (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of manna

: food which according to the Bible was supplied by a miracle to the Israelites after they escaped from Egypt
: something needed that is received unexpectedly

See the full definition for manna in the English Language Learners Dictionary

manna

noun
man·​na | \ ˈma-nə How to pronounce manna (audio) \

Kids Definition of manna

1 : food which according to the Bible was supplied by a miracle to the Israelites in the wilderness
2 : a usually sudden and unexpected source of pleasure or gain

manna

noun
man·​na | \ ˈman-ə How to pronounce manna (audio) \

Medical Definition of manna

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on manna

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for manna

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with manna

Spanish Central: Translation of manna

Nglish: Translation of manna for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about manna

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