messiah
UK[mɪˈsaɪə]US[məˈsaɪə]
n
a promised leader or savior of a particular group of people
n
(in Christianity) Jesus Christ, regarded as the savior of humankind
n
(in Judaism) the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people
Morpheme Breakdown
messi
ah
messi
anointed
ah
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'messiah' is a direct loanword from the Hebrew term 'māšîaḥ', meaning "anointed one". In ancient Israelite tradition, kings and high priests were ceremonially anointed with oil, signifying their divine appointment and consecration. Through Jewish eschatology, the term evolved to denote a future, ideal king from the line of David who would deliver the people and restore Israel. In Christian theology, the Greek translation 'Christos' (Christ) was applied to Jesus of Nazareth, identifying him as this prophesied anointed deliverer, thus broadening the term's semantic scope to a universal savior.
Analysis
Structure: messi (anointed) + ah (noun suffix)
messi: From Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (māšîaḥ), meaning "anointed one". It functions as the core root conveying the concept of being anointed or consecrated.
ah: A common transliteration of the Hebrew masculine singular suffix, indicating a state or condition. It functions as a nominalizing element in the borrowed form.
Examples
Many of his followers believed he was the long-awaited messiah.
The concept of a messiah is central to several major world religions.
The piece of music is known as Handel's "Messiah".