messia

messiah

noun meh-SEE-ah Rare

Origin: From Hebrew mashiach via Greek and Latin messias, meaning 'anointed one'.

Also means

saviour

Usage Note

Messia is masculine despite ending in -a, a pattern shared with other nouns of Greek or Hebrew origin such as il poeta and il profeta. It is used both in its religious sense (the Messiah in Judaism and Christianity) and figuratively for any person seen as a saviour of a cause. The plural i messia is invariable.

Examples

"Lo considerano il messia del movimento."

Natural Translation

They consider him the messiah of the movement.

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