Meanings
theophany1
plural theophanies
- A manifestation of a deity to a person.
It was a bewildering theophany, since it was impossible to make out anything clearly in the stormy obscurity of thunder, lightning, smoke and wind.
2009, Karen Armstrong, The Case for God, Vintage, published 2010, page 47
Theophany2
- Any of various specific theophanies.
- One of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church, commemorating the revelation of Jesus' divinity, especially in his baptism by John the Baptist.
The Byzantine tradition concentrates all the birth narratives, including the Magi, at Christmas. Theophany is very much the feast of the Baptism of Christ, being marked by the very important ceremony of the great Blessing of Water[…]
2010 May 10, Ken Parry, The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 3331 more example
Originally, the feast of Theophany included Christ's birth, the adoration of the Magi, and Christ's childhood narratives, such as his circumcision and his presentation in the temple. It also included his baptism and the wedding at Cana[…]
2019 December 6, Mary Kathryn Lowell, Treasure in a Box: A Guide to the Icons of St. Andrew, Archway Publishing, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Late Latintheophania
- Englishtheophany
From Late Latin theophania, corresponding to theo- + -phany, from θεός (theós, “God”) + φαίνω (phaínō, “to shine, appear”).
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic ظُهُورٌ إِلَهِيّ, عِيد الظُهُور الْإِلَٰهِيّ
- ظُهُورٌ إِلَهِيّ (ẓuhūrun ʔilahiyy)a visible manifestation of a deity
- عِيد الظُهُور الْإِلَٰهِيّ (ʕīd aẓ-ẓuhūr al-ʔilāhiyy)one of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Catalan teofania
- teofaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
Chinese Mandarin 天主顯現 /天主显现
- 天主顯現 /天主显现 (Tiānzhǔ xiǎnxiàn)a visible manifestation of a deity
Dutch theofanie
- theofaniea visible manifestation of a deity
Finnish teofania
- teofaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
French théophanie, Théophanie
- théophaniea visible manifestation of a deity
- Théophanieone of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
German Theophanie
- Theophaniea visible manifestation of a deity
Greek θεοφάνεια, Θεοφάνια
- θεοφάνεια (theofáneia)a visible manifestation of a deity
- Θεοφάνια (Theofánia)one of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Hungarian teofánia
- teofániaa visible manifestation of a deity
Indonesian teofani
- teofania visible manifestation of a deity
Italian teofania
- teofaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
Japanese 神現祭
- 神現祭 (shingensai)one of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Latin theophania
- theophaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
Norwegian teofani
- teofania visible manifestation of a deity
Polish teofania
- teofaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
Portuguese teofania, teofania
- teofaniaa visible manifestation of a deity
- teofaniaone of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Romanian teofanie
- teofaniea visible manifestation of a deity
Russian теофания, Богоявление
- теофания (teofanija)a visible manifestation of a deity
- Богоявление (Bogojavlenije)one of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
- Крещение Господне (Kreščenije Gospodne)one of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Slovak teofánia, teofánia
- teofániaa visible manifestation of a deity
- teofániaone of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Spanish teofanía
- teofaníaa visible manifestation of a deity
Swedish teofani
- teofania visible manifestation of a deity
Ukrainian Йордан
- Йорданone of the Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Cite this entry
theophany. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theophany
“theophany.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theophany. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “theophany,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/theophany.
Source: theophany on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.