cherub
noun/ˈtʃerəb/
/ˈtʃerəb/
- (plural cherubs, cherubim(in art) a type of angel, shown as a small, fat, usually male child with wings/ˈtʃerəbɪm//ˈtʃerəbɪm/)
- carvings of Madonnas and cherubs
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- (plural cherubs)(informal) a pretty child; a child who behaves well
- I was quite a good student—no cherub, but no devil either.
Word OriginOld English cherubin, ultimately (via Latin and Greek) from Hebrew kěrūb̲, plural kěrūb̲īm. A rabbinic folk etymology, which explains the Hebrew singular form as representing Aramaic kě-rab̲yā ‘like a child’, led to the representation of the cherub as a child.
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