cherub
NounUS[cher-uhb]/ˈtʃɛrəb/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Word of the day · Nov 1About this word
benevolentadjective
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Cher′ub noun; pl. Cherubs (#); but the Hebrew plural Cherubim (#) is also used.
Origin: Heb. kerūb.
1. A mysterious composite being, the winged footstool and chariot of the Almighty, described in Ezekiel i. and x.
I knew that they were the cherubim.— Ezek. x. 20.
He rode upon a cherub and did fly.— Ps. xviii. 10.
2. A symbolical winged figure of unknown form used in connection with the mercy seat of the Jewish Ark and Temple. Ez. xxv. 18.
3. One of a order of angels, variously represented in art. In European painting the cherubim have been shown as blue, to denote knowledge, as distinguished from the seraphim (see Seraph), and in later art the children's heads with wings are generally called cherubs.
4. A beautiful child; — so called because artists have represented cherubs as beautiful children.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54