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Glite Dictionary
🙏 A church prayer 🐑 A lamb symbol
Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei

9.9
A picture or statue of a lamb with a halo and flag used as a sign of Jesus
  • noun
  • /ˈæɡ.nəs ˈdeɪ.i/
  • Literature
translation icon : Agnus Dei
  • The altar was adorned with an Agnus Dei carved in white marble.

Examples

  • In medieval paintings, the Agnus Dei is often shown holding a banner.

  • The Agnus Dei symbolizes peace and sacrifice in Christian art.

  • The choir sang a beautiful version of the Agnus Dei during the service.

  • The Agnus Dei appears frequently in Christian iconography.

  • In medieval paintings, the Agnus Dei is often shown holding a banner.

  • The choir sang a moving rendition of the Agnus Dei during the Easter service.

  • The altar was adorned with an Agnus Dei carved in white marble, symbolizing Christ.

Synonyms

Paschal Lamb
vsAgnus Dei
9.9

A lamb that Christians use as a symbol of Jesus dying for people at Easter

is an artistic symbol used in worship often shown with halo and flag

Surface Forms

Agnus Dei singular

Morphology

Agnus + Dei

Agnus Dei is literally Latin for 'Lamb of God' (agnus = lamb; Dei = of God), so the meaning is directly compositional and would be derivable if a learner knew the constituent words. However, the constituents are Latin rather than English and are unlikely to be known by an average B1 English learner, so the phrase is compositionally transparent but may be practically inaccessible without knowledge of Latin.

Etymology

Agnus Dei also became the name for a picture or object showing a lamb with a halo and a banner. Artists used this image to show Jesus as the sacrificial 'Lamb of God', so today Agnus Dei can mean that lamb symbol.