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Origin and history of annunciation

annunciation(n.)

early 14c., anunciacioun, "Lady-day, Church festival commemorating announcement of the incarnation of Christ," from Anglo-French anunciacioun, Old French anonciacion "announcement, news; Feast of the Annunciation," from Latin annuntiationem (nominative annuntiatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of annuntiare "announce, relate" (see announce).

The general sense of "an announcing" is attested from early 15c. The Church festival (March 25) commemorates the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, foretelling the incarnation. Old English for "Annunciation Day" was bodungdæg.

also from early 14c.

Entries linking to annunciation

announce(v.)

c. 1500, "proclaim, make known formally," from Old French anoncier "announce, proclaim" (12c., Modern French annoncer), from Latin annuntiare, adnuntiare "to announce, make known," literally "bring news to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + nuntiare "relate, report," from nuntius "messenger" (from PIE root *neu- "to shout"). Related: Announced; announcing.

annunciate(v.)

"bring tidings of," 1530s, from Latin annunciatus, misspelling of annuntiatus, past participle of annuntiare "to announce, relate" (see announce). In some cases perhaps a back-formation from annunciation. Middle English had also a past-participle adjective annunciate "announced in advance, declared" (late 14c.). Related: Annunciated; annunciating.

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    declaration
    late 14c., declaracioun, "an explanation, a statement, action of stating clearly," from Old French declaration and directly from Latin declarationem (nominative declaratio) "a making clear or evident, a disclosure, exposition," noun of action from past-participle stem of declarar
    New Year's Eve
    calendar began on January 1, but the Christian Church frowned on pagan celebrations of this event and chose the Feast of the Annunciation...
    lady
    Lady Day (late 13c.) was the festival of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (March 25)....
    quarter day
    mid-15c., "day that begins a quarter of the year," designated as days when rents were paid and contracts and leases began or expired, from quarter (n.1). They were, in England, Lady day (March 25), Midsummer day (June 24), Michaelmas day (Sept. 29), and Christmas day (Dec. 25); i
    testament
    late 13c., "last will disposing of property," from Latin testamentum "a last will, publication of a will," from testari "make a will, be witness to," from testis "witness," from PIE *tri-st-i- "third person standing by," from root *tris- "three" (see three) on the notion of "thir
    edict
    late 15c., edycte; earlier edit (late 13c.), "proclamation having the force of law," from Old French edit, from Latin edictum "proclamation, ordinance, edict," neuter past participle of edicere "publish, proclaim," from assimilated form of ex "out, out of" (see ex-) + dicere "to
    ram
    Old English ramm "male sheep," also "battering ram, instrument for crushing or driving by impact," and the zodiac sign; earlier rom "male sheep," a West Germanic word (cognates: Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch, Old High German ram), of unknown origin. Perhaps [Klein] conne
    mar
    Middle English merren "to deface, disfigure; impair in form or substance" (early 13c.), from Old English merran (Anglian), mierran (West Saxon) "to waste, spoil," from Proto-Germanic *marzjan (source also of Old Frisian meria, Old High German marren "to hinder, obstruct," Gothic
    arm
    [upper limb of the human body], Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (source also of Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Middle Dutch, German arm, Old Norse armr, Old Frisian erm), from PIE root *ar- "to fit together" (source also of Sanskrit irmah "arm,"
    charm
    c. 1300, "incantation, magic charm," from Old French charme (12c.) "magic charm, magic spell incantation; song, lamentation," from Latin carmen "song, verse, enchantment, religious formula," from canere "to sing" (from PIE root *kan- "to sing"), with dissimilation of -n- to -r- b

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