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Origin and history of transfiguration

transfiguration(n.)

c. 1400, transfiguracioun, "the Transfiguration of Christ, the change in appearance of Christ before his disciples" (Matthew xvii.2; Mark ix.2, 3), also the Church festival commemorating this, from Latin transfigurationem (nominative transfiguratio) "a change of form," noun of action from past-participle stem of transfigurare ""change the shape of" (see transfigure). The non-Christian general sense of "change of appearance" is recorded by 1540s.

also from c. 1400

Entries linking to transfiguration

transfigure(v.)

early 13c., transfiguren, "gloriously alter the appearance of," especially in reference to Christ (see transformation), from Old French transfigurer "change, transform" (12c.), and directly from Latin transfigurare "change the shape of," from trans "across, beyond" (see trans-) + figurare "to form, fashion," from figura "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (from PIE root *dheigh- "to form, build"). Related: Transfigured; transfiguring.

Also, "be spiritually transformed in conformity to Christ" (late 14c.). General (non-Christian) senses of "change the outward form or appearance of, alter the shape" are by late 14c., including "adopt a role" (of an actor), "be metamorphosed" (by magic). The intransitive meaning "change in appearance or character" (1840) is rare. Also compare transfigurate (v.) "transform, change" (early 15c.), from the past-participle stem of the Latin verb.

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    metamorphosis
    1530s, "change of form or structure, action or process of changing in form," originally especially by witchcraft, from Latin metamorphosis, from Greek metamorphōsis "a transforming, a transformation," from metamorphoun "to transform, to be transfigured," from meta, here indicatin
    august
    "inspiring reverence and admiration, solemnly grand," 1660s, from Latin augustus "venerable, majestic, magnificent, noble," perhaps originally "consecrated by the augurs, with favorable auguries" (see augur (n.)); or else [de Vaan] "that which is increased" (see augment)....eight
    reclaim
    early 14c., reclaimen, "call back a hawk to the glove," from Old French reclamer "to call upon, invoke; claim; seduce; to call back a hawk" (12c., Modern French réclamer) and directly from Latin reclamare "cry out against, contradict, protest, appeal," from re- "opposite, against
    miracle
    mid-12c., "a wondrous work of God," from Old French miracle (11c.) "miracle, story of a miracle, miracle play," from Latin miraculum "object of wonder" (in Church Latin, "marvelous event caused by God"), from mirari "to wonder at, marvel, be astonished," figuratively "to regard,
    alteration
    late 14c., alteracioun, "change, transformation, action of altering," from Old French alteracion "change, alteration" (14c.), and directly from Medieval Latin alterationem (nominative alteratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Late Latin alterare "to change," from La
    translation
    mid-14c., "removal of a saint's body or relics to a new place," also "rendering of a text from one language to another," from Old French translacion "translation" of text, also of the bones of a saint, etc. (12c.) or directly from Latin translationem (nominative translatio) "a ca
    watershed
    "line separating waters flowing into different rivers," 1803, from water (n.1) + shed in a topographical sense of "ridge of high ground between two valleys or lower ground, a divide," for which see shed (n.2). Perhaps a loan-translation of German Wasser-scheide. Figurative sense
    tangle
    mid-14c., tanglen, "encumber, enmesh, knit together confusedly," a shortening of entangle in some cases, in others probably a nasalized variant of tagilen "to involve in a difficult situation, entangle," from a Scandinavian source (compare dialectal Swedish taggla "to disorder,"
    plague
    late 14c., plage, "affliction, calamity, evil, scourge, severe trouble or vexation;" early 15c., "malignant disease," from Old French plage (14c., Modern French plaie), from Late Latin plaga "affliction; slaughter, destruction," used in Vulgate for "pestilence," from Latin plaga
    posh
    by 1914 (1903 as push), a word of uncertain origin, but there is no evidence for the common derivation from an acronym of port outward, starboard home, supposedly the shipboard accommodations of wealthy British traveling to India on the P & O Lines (to keep their cabins out o

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