AGAPE
What does "AGAPE" mean?
With the mouth wide open in surprise or wonder; also a Greek word for selfless love.
Meanings
- With the mouth wide open, typically in astonishment. She stood agape at the size of the wave.
- Wide open, as a door or gap. The gate hung agape on its broken hinge. literary
- Selfless, unconditional love, especially in Christian theology; pronounced 'AH-gah-pay'. The sermon drew a line between desire and agape. technical
Did you know?
- Spelled identically, 'agape' is two words with nothing in common: the open-mouthed English adverb ('uh-GAYP') and the Greek noun for selfless love ('AH-gah-pay') - same letters, separate ancestries.
Word origin
The 'mouth-open' sense is 'a-' ('on, in') plus 'gape' (from Old Norse 'gapa', to open the mouth wide). The love sense is a separate word, the Ancient Greek 'agapē' (selfless love), unrelated in origin despite the identical spelling.
Remember it
AGAPE = A GAPE: your mouth makes a gap when astonishment hits.
A little poem
The whole sky split white-
she forgot to close her mouth,
and breathed in the storm.
haiku
What it teaches
Wonder and love both begin the same way: by leaving yourself wide open.
Quick facts
What does AGAPE mean?
With the mouth wide open in surprise or wonder; also a Greek word for selfless love.
Is AGAPE a valid word?
Yes — AGAPE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is AGAPE?
AGAPE has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does AGAPE come from?
The 'mouth-open' sense is 'a-' ('on, in') plus 'gape' (from Old Norse 'gapa', to open the mouth wide). The love sense is a separate word, the Ancient Greek 'agapē' (selfless love), unrelated in origin despite the identical spelling.
What can AGAPE teach us?
Wonder and love both begin the same way: by leaving yourself wide open.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.