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Use of the term in some churches to refer to a church official derives from interpreting the "angels" of the Seven churches of Asia in Revelation as being bishops or ministers rather than angelic beings.
An incorporeal and sometimes divine messenger from a deity, or other divine entity, often depicted in art as a youthful winged figure in flowing robes.
The dear good angel of the Spring, / The nightingale.
1982, Douglas Adams, Life, the Universe and Everything, page 50:
There seemed to be girls sitting on top of them, or maybe they were meant to be angels. Angels are usually represented as wearing more than that, though.
(Abrahamic tradition) One of the lowest order of such beings, below virtues.
A person having the qualities attributed to angels, such as purity or selflessness.
Thanks for making me breakfast in bed, you little angel.
2014 August 25, John Eligon, “Michael Brown Spent Last Weeks Grappling With Problems and Promise”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Michael Brown, 18, due to be buried on Monday, was no angel, with public records and interviews with friends and family revealing both problems and promise in his young life.
1817, Thomas Stackhouse, A history of the holy Bible, corrected and improved by G. Gleig, page 504:
An apostle, or angel, or bishop, as he is now called, resided with a college of presbyters about him, in every considerable city of the Roman empire; to that angel or bishop, was committed the pastoral care of all the Christian in the city and its suburbs, extending as far on all sides as the jurisdiction of the civil magistrate extended;
1832, Edward Irving, speech before the Presbytery of London, quoted in 1862, Margaret Oliphant, The Life of Edward Irving, Minister of the National Scotch Church, London: Illustrated by His Journals and Correspondence, page 429
the head of that Church, in whose place I stand in my Church, and in whose place no other standeth (the elders and deacons have their place, but this belongeth to the angel or minister of the Church), and the Lord commendeth him for trying
1878, Edward Miller, The History and Doctrines of Irvingism Or of the So-called Catholic and Apostolic Church, § 9 Pastors, page 50 (discussing the structure of the early Christian church and of the Catholic Apostolic Church):
The second or highest grade consists of the Angels or Bishops of Churches. Each Church has its Angel, who has (1) the higher supervision and care of all the flock, (2) the supervision and care of the Priests under him, and (3) the care of the Church itself.
2011, OECD, Financing High-Growth Firms: The Role of Angel Investors:
“Latent” angels are defined as those who have not invested capital in the past 12 months, although they likely have invested knowledge in the process of reviewing potential investments.
(theater) The person who funds a show. (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
1944, Maurice Zolotow, Never Whistle in a Dressing Room; Or, Breakfast in Bedlam, page 59:
Six years ago, he lost $20,000 in the first show he angelled, a turkey called Dance Night.
1984, “American Magazine”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 118, page 88:
You've got to come to Chicago to meet Duell, and see Wilson, who's going to angel the show.
References
^ Bingham, Caleb (1808) “Improprieties in Pronunciation, common among the people of New-England”, in The Child's Companion; Being a Conciſe Spelling-book, 12th edition, Boston: Manning & Loring, →OCLC, page 74.
This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
References
Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “angel stm.”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “angel, adv.”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
eſtos angeles cõ q fablo abraã. vinieron a ſodoma e loth ſedia ala puerta dela cibdat. e violos e leuãtos cõtra ellõ. e omillos troa la tierra. e dixo les priego uos mios ſẽnores. Q̃ uẽgades acaſa de ur̃o ſieruo albergar.
These angels to whom Abraham spoke came to Sodom, and Lot was at the city's gate. And he saw them and he got up to greet them and groveled with his face to the ground. And he said, “I beg you, my lords, come spend the night at your servant's house.”
Idem, f. 4v.
veno el angel del cr̃ador de noch ⁊ dixo alabã. Gvardate de aquel om̃e nol fagas mal.
And the angel of the Creator came to Laban at night and said unto him, “Beware that man and do him no harm.”
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “angel”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies