Webster's 1828 Dictionary
EPIPHANY
n.[Gr. appearance; to appear. ] A christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior's baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. " The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2 Timothy 1:1 .
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
EPIPHANY
E *piph "a *ny, n. Etym: [F. épiphanie, L. epiphania, Gr. Fancy. ]
1. An appearance, or a becoming manifest. Whom but just before they beheld transfigured and in a glorious epiphany upon the mount. Jer. Taylor. An epic poet, if ever such a difficult birth should make its epiphany in Paris. De Quincey.
2. (Eccl.)
Defn: A church festival celebrated on the 6th of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the visit of the Magi of the East to Bethlehem, to see and worship the child Jesus; or, as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the Magi, symbolizing the manifestation of Christ to the Gentles; Twelfthtide.
New American Oxford Dictionary
epiphany
e piph a ny |iˈpifənē əˈpɪfəni | ▶noun ( pl. epiphanies ) (also Epiphany ) the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1 –12 ). • the festival commemorating this on January 6. • a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being. • a moment of sudden revelation or insight. DERIVATIVES ep i phan ic |ˌepəˈfanik |adjective ORIGIN Middle English: from Greek epiphainein ‘reveal. ’ The sense relating to the Christian festival is via Old French epiphanie and ecclesiastical Latin epiphania .
Oxford Dictionary
epiphany
epiphany |ɪˈpɪf (ə )ni, ɛ- | ▶noun ( pl. epiphanies ) 1 ( Epiphany ) the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1 –12 ). • the festival commemorating the Epiphany on 6 January. 2 a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization. DERIVATIVES epiphanic |ɛpɪˈfanɪk |adjective ORIGIN Middle English: from Greek epiphainein ‘reveal ’. The sense relating to the Christian festival is via Old French epiphanie and ecclesiastical Latin epiphania .
Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary
Epiphany
E piph a ny /ɪpɪ́f (ə )ni /名詞 複 -nies 〘キリスト教 〙1 〖the ～〗顕現日 〘1月6日 〙; 神の顕現, 現れ .2 C 〖e- 〗直覚的な悟り .3 C 〖e- 〗エピファニー 〘物事や人物の本質が露呈する瞬間を象徴的に表した文学作品 〙.
The Wordsmith Dictionary