amen
English
Etymology
From Old English, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”) (cognate with Arabic آمِين (ʾāmīn), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ ('āmēn)). In Old English, it was used only at the end of the Gospels. Elsewhere, it was translated as sōþlīċe! (“truly”, “indeed!”), swā hit is (“so it is”), and sīe! (“[so] be it!”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /eɪˈmɛn/, /ɑːˈmɛn/, /ˈeɪ.mɛn/
- Until c. 1920 the pronunciation /eɪˈmɛn/ was universal. Thereafter, with the "reformed" pronunciation of ancient languages, /ɑːˈmɛn/ gradually prevailed, though (particularly in spoken prayer) /eɪˈmɛn/ can still be heard, especially in the US.
- Rhymes: -ɛn
Adverb
amen (not comparable)
- At the end of religious prayers: so be it.
- 1662, Book of Common Prayer:
- Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
- KJV, Nehemiah 5:13:
- Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. — Nehemiah 5:13, KJV
- KJV, Psalm 72:18-19:
- Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
- 1662, Book of Common Prayer:
- In many Abrahamic religious texts and creeds: truly, verily.
- Rhemish Translation, John 3:5:
- Amen, amen, I say to thee, except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God.
- Rhemish Translation, John 3:5:
Translations
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Interjection
amen
- An expression of strong agreement. Often, though dated, in the phrase "Amen to that".
- 1999 May, Matt Groening, “Hell Is Other Robots”, Futurama, season 1, episode 9
- Fry: Bender's stupid religion is driving me nuts! / Leela: Amen!
- 1999 May, Matt Groening, “Hell Is Other Robots”, Futurama, season 1, episode 9
Translations
Noun
amen (plural amens)
- An instance of saying ‘amen’.
- 2006, Evault Boswell, The Iron Mountain Baby
- A chorus of amens rang out across the audience.
- 2006, Evault Boswell, The Iron Mountain Baby
- A title of Christ; the Faithful One (especially with reference to Revelation 3:14)
- 1611, — Revelation 3:14, KJV
- And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God
- 1611, — Revelation 3:14, KJV
Translations
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Verb
amen (third-person singular simple present amens, present participle amening, simple past and past participle amened)
- (intransitive) To say amen.
- 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, "Sunday,"
- The moment Dr. Reid amened, we rushed straight out of the church off home.
- 2015, T. M. Young, Much Given, Much Required (page xxx)
- Most of the church amened and applauded.
- 2015, Jewelle Francis, Manifest Destiny
- She must be thinking Reverend Hopkins is talking directly to her, because she starts amening and shouting real loud when he gets to the part in Proverbs […]
- 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, "Sunday,"
- (transitive) To say amen to; to ratify solemnly.
Catalan
Cebuano
Etymology
From Spanish amén, from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Hebrew אמן (amén, “certainly, truly”).
The gesture evolved from the custom of kissing the ecclesiastical ring of Catholic clergymen.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: a‧men
Verb
amen
Quotations
For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:amen.
Chuukese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈmɛn/, /aˈbɛn/
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch amen, from Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אמן (amén, “certainly, truly”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈaː.mə(n)/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: amen
- Rhymes: -aːmən
Interjection
amen
- amen; at the end of Judeo-Christian prayers: so be it
- amen; an expression of strong agreement
French
Etymology
From Ecclesiastical Latin amen, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”)
Further reading
- “amen” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Galician
Gothic
Icelandic
Adverb
amen
Italian
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”) (cognate with Arabic آمِين (ʾāmīn), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ ('āmēyn)).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.men/
Adverb
amen
Latin
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, truly”) (cognate with Arabic آمِين (ʾāmīn), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ ('āmēyn)).
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈaː.meːn/
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈa.men/, [ˈaː.men]
References
- amen in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- amen in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
- amen in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
Middle Dutch
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈa.mɛn/
Audio (file)