cherub

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   in Western art, an angel represented as a small, plump, winged child

   A painted cherub hovered above each corner of the ceiling.

2. 2
   noun

   a sweet, beautiful, or innocent-looking child or person

   With round cheeks and a solemn smile, the toddler looked like a cherub.

3. 3
   noun

   a powerful celestial being in the Hebrew Bible or, in later Christian angelology, a member of a high angelic order

   The carved cherub beside the throne had wings rather than a child's body.

From Middle English and Old English forms, through Latin cherub and Greek kheroub, from Hebrew keruv; the deeper Semitic origin is uncertain and may relate to Akkadian guardian or intercessory beings. Biblical cherubs were formidable throne guardians. The familiar winged-child image arose much later in Western art through association with the classical putto.

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